Miscomputed

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Determined a value or result by performing a calculation incorrectly
2. Produced a numerical outcome by making an error in the computation process
3. Arrived at a figure or answer through mistaken arithmetic or flawed calculation

Etymology: "Miscomputed" is a plain English compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "computed," from Latin "computare," meaning to reckon or count together. Its parts are "com-" (together) and "putare" (to think, reckon), so the original sense is a joint counting or tallying. The prefix "mis-" is native to English, descending from Old English, and it has been freely attached to verbs for centuries. "Computed" entered English through Late Latin and Middle English, and "miscompute" follows the same pattern as "misjudge" or "misread," where the prefix simply signals an error in performing the action. The word is most often used as a participle or adjective in technical and everyday contexts, such as a miscomputed figure in a budget or a miscomputed trajectory. Its meaning is literal: the calculation itself was carried out wrongly, rather than the result being misinterpreted.