Misquotations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An act of quoting someone inaccurately or incorrectly; instances where a person's words are represented in a way that differs from their original expression; errors in attribution that distort the intended meaning of the original statement
2. Instances in which someone's words are distorted or attributed wrongly; events where the essence of a person's statement is misrepresented; inaccuracies in quoting that fail to convey the actual sentiment intended
3. Errors that occur when a quotation does not reflect the original wording; situations where the words attributed to someone are rendered incorrectly; misrepresentations that can change the meaning of the quoted material

Etymology: "Misquotations" is simply the plural of "misquotation," a noun formed in English from the prefix "mis-" and "quotation." The prefix comes down from Old English "mis-," which carried the sense of "wrongly" or "amiss," and it has been used this way since the Middle English period. "Quotation" is the older, larger part: it is built on the Latin "quotare," to mark with numbers, which gave English the sense of citing a passage from a text. Put together, the two parts describe exactly what the word means: a quotation that has been rendered wrongly, whether through a slip of memory, a careless transcription, or a deliberate alteration. The word is a transparent compound, so its meaning can be read straight from its parts.

Synonyms: misquotes, errors

Antonyms: accurate quotations