Mistake

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /mɪˈsteɪk/

Definitions

1. An error or misunderstanding resulting from incorrect judgment, miscalculation, or misinterpretation of information
2. An action or decision that is wrong due to a misunderstanding, miscalculation, or poor judgment can be identified as an incorrect choice
3. A judgment or action that leads to an unintended consequence due to a miscalculation, oversight, or error is often referred to as a blunder

Etymology: The English "mistake" is a Norse loan. Its verb form arrived in Middle English as "mistaken," borrowed from Old Norse "mistaka," which meant "to take in error" or "to miscarry." The sense was physical before it was mental: to take one thing for another, or to go wrong in an action. The prefix "mis-" (wrong, amiss) joined the verb "take," so the core idea was grasping the wrong thing. The noun came later. It was formed from the verb and gradually displaced the older noun "mistaking," so that the word first meant a wrong grasp or wrong action and only then came to name a slip of judgment. Scandinavian languages preserve the same pattern: Swedish "misstag" and Icelandic "mistak" are noun forms built from the same verb.

Synonyms: error, blunder, misjudgment

Antonyms: correctness, accuracy