Misdivide

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Splitting something into parts in a mistaken way, so that the divisions fall in the wrong places
2. To separate or partition a whole incorrectly, dividing it at points that do not match what was intended
3. Dividing an item or set into sections wrongly, placing the breaks where they should not go

Etymology: "Misdivide" is about as transparent as English compounds get: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "divide". The sense of "divide" is the older one, from Latin "dividere", to separate or cut apart, so the word describes cutting or marking something in the wrong place, whether a line of text, a sum, or a set of categories. The prefix does most of the work here. "Mis-" comes from Old English and attaches freely to verbs, so English speakers can coin a form like this whenever a division has gone astray. The result is a plain, functional word rather than one with a dramatic backstory, and its meaning follows directly from its two parts.

Antonyms: combine, unite