Mislocate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To designate an object or person's position inaccurately or erroneously
2. To incorrectly assign a place or position to something or someone
3. To place an item or individual in a spot that is not correct or intended

Etymology: "Mislocate" is a plain formation: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "locate." The prefix comes from Old English "mis-," a native element meaning amiss, wrong, or astray, which is why it appears on so many English verbs of mistake, such as "misread" and "mislead." "Locate" has a longer past. It derives from the Latin "locatus," the past participle of "locare," to place or set in position, and is itself rooted in "locus," place. English used "locate" for centuries in the sense of setting something in a particular place, and only later took on the more common meaning of finding where something is. Put together, "mislocate" means to set or identify something in the wrong place. The verb is built from two parts that were each long established in English before the combination appeared.

Synonyms: misplace, misidentify, misjudge, err, mistake

Antonyms: locate, identify, place, determine, pinpoint