Tuesday word: Misnomer
Oct. 22nd, 2024 07:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
simplyn2deep posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
1word1dayTuesday, Oct. 22, 2024
Misnomer (noun)
mis·no·mer [mis-noh-mer]
noun
1. a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation.
2. an error in naming a person or thing.
Confusables Note
Misnomer is not a fancy, more elevated word for mistake. Nor is it a synonym for misstatement, misconception, or misunderstanding. As the word's Latin etymon nominare (“to name”) tells us, a misnomer is a special kind of mistake: a wrong name. The consequences of a mistake can range from trivial to catastrophic—from typos to train wrecks. But a misnomer is often just embarrassing, like trying to impress a friend by referring to a Burgundy wine as a “Bordeaux.” Sometimes, however, what began as a misnomer has become a standard term: the game of Chinese checkers does not come from China; the funny bone is a nerve, not a bone; hay fever is not caused by hay and is not a fever; and a pregnant woman's morning sickness can occur at any time of day. Other kinds of mistakes or misunderstandings—giving a driver wrong directions, thinking that the earth is flat, drawing an erroneous conclusion—are not misnomers. In fact, the word misnomer when used to describe a behavioral mistake or a misperception of reality is itself a misnomer!
Origin: First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, noun use of Middle French mesnomer “to misname,” equivalent to mes- negating prefix + nomer “to name, call by name,” from Latin nominare; mis- , nominate
Example Sentences
The wrestling worthy accessory is a bit of a misnomer—there is no cheekily exposed skin in this full-coverage contraption.
From The Daily Beast
But its title is a misnomer: The far-from-renegade Gay is a very good feminist.
From The Daily Beast
The sad thing is to see this misnomer being promulgated by gays themselves.
From The Daily Beast
The phrase “kids for cash” is something of a misnomer, according to May.
From The Daily Beast
Part of the reason for the bid-ask gap stems from the fact that calling Miramax or MGM a "studio" is a misnomer.
From The Daily Beast
Misnomer (noun)
mis·no·mer [mis-noh-mer]
noun
1. a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation.
2. an error in naming a person or thing.
Confusables Note
Misnomer is not a fancy, more elevated word for mistake. Nor is it a synonym for misstatement, misconception, or misunderstanding. As the word's Latin etymon nominare (“to name”) tells us, a misnomer is a special kind of mistake: a wrong name. The consequences of a mistake can range from trivial to catastrophic—from typos to train wrecks. But a misnomer is often just embarrassing, like trying to impress a friend by referring to a Burgundy wine as a “Bordeaux.” Sometimes, however, what began as a misnomer has become a standard term: the game of Chinese checkers does not come from China; the funny bone is a nerve, not a bone; hay fever is not caused by hay and is not a fever; and a pregnant woman's morning sickness can occur at any time of day. Other kinds of mistakes or misunderstandings—giving a driver wrong directions, thinking that the earth is flat, drawing an erroneous conclusion—are not misnomers. In fact, the word misnomer when used to describe a behavioral mistake or a misperception of reality is itself a misnomer!
Origin: First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, noun use of Middle French mesnomer “to misname,” equivalent to mes- negating prefix + nomer “to name, call by name,” from Latin nominare; mis- , nominate
Example Sentences
The wrestling worthy accessory is a bit of a misnomer—there is no cheekily exposed skin in this full-coverage contraption.
From The Daily Beast
But its title is a misnomer: The far-from-renegade Gay is a very good feminist.
From The Daily Beast
The sad thing is to see this misnomer being promulgated by gays themselves.
From The Daily Beast
The phrase “kids for cash” is something of a misnomer, according to May.
From The Daily Beast
Part of the reason for the bid-ask gap stems from the fact that calling Miramax or MGM a "studio" is a misnomer.
From The Daily Beast
