Misnaming

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of assigning a wrong or unsuitable name to something
2. Describing the process of applying an inaccurate label or designation
3. Referring to the practice of calling someone or something by an incorrect term

Etymology: The verb "misname" is a plain English formation: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "name," which goes back through Middle English "name," Old English "nama," and Proto-Germanic "namô" to a root shared with many Indo-European languages. The prefix has an older lineage of its own. "Mis-" comes from Old English, where it sat alongside related forms in other Germanic languages, and it was used productively to create compounds meaning error or fault, such as "misdeed" and "mistake." Because "mis-" was a productive English prefix from its earliest days, speakers could attach it to almost any verb or noun without needing a special coinage. "Misname" follows the same pattern as "misspell," "misread," and "misjudge," and its meaning is transparent: to give a name that does not fit.

Synonyms: mislabeling, misidentifying