Misassigns

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To incorrectly designate a role or duty to an inappropriate party
2. To give a task or role to the wrong person or place
3. To allocate responsibility or position improperly to someone or something

Etymology: "Misassigns" is the third-person singular present form of "misassign," a verb meaning to give a role or duty to the wrong person or party. The verb is built from two parts: the prefix "mis-," from Old English "mis-" meaning wrong or amiss, and "assign," which comes from Middle English "assignen," borrowed from Anglo-French and ultimately from Latin "assignare," meaning to mark out or allot to someone. Read literally, the word describes a clerical error of allocation: the thing assigned was meant for one recipient, and it landed with another. The prefix "mis-" is productive in English and attaches to many verbs in this same way, such as "misplace," "mislabel," and "misdirect," so "misassign" follows a familiar pattern rather than a singular coinage.

Synonyms: misallocates, misapplies, misplaces, misdesignates, misdirects

Antonyms: corrects, assigns, allocates, designates, directs