Misaiming

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of targeting something but failing to direct the aim correctly
2. Directing an object or weapon toward a target in a way that misses or is off-center
3. Attempting to point or send something toward a specific place but doing so inaccurately

Etymology: "Misaiming" is the present participle and gerund of "misaim," a verb built from the prefix "mis-," meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "aim." The prefix is an old English element, used to form verbs and nouns with the sense of error or failure, as in "misjudge" or "misspell." Its base, "aim," comes from the Old French "aesmer," meaning to estimate or reckon, and it was the archery and gunnery sense of directing a weapon at a target that gave the verb its familiar meaning. Because "misaim" is a transparent compound, its sense follows directly from its parts: to direct something at a target and miss it. The noun form, meaning a poor aim or an attempt that goes astray, is built the same way, so the word needs little explanation beyond the two elements that make it up.

Synonyms: misdirecting, mispointing, misfiring, miscalculating, misjudging

Antonyms: aiming, targeting, directing, pointing, focusing