misnomer
To use an incorrect, and especially misleading, name forTo use an incorrect, and especially misleading, name for (someone or something); to misidentify, to misname.
» Root beer is minging – and it's a misnomer.
Wurzelbier stinkt – und es handelt sich eigentlich um eine Fehlbezeichnung. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
sundown · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 sensesTo use an incorrect, and especially misleading, name for (someone or something); to misidentify, to misname.
Examples
8 sentencesRoot beer is minging – and it's a misnomer.
deWurzelbier stinkt – und es handelt sich eigentlich um eine Fehlbezeichnung. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
"Koala bear" is a misnomer, since koalas aren't bears.
It's a misnomer to refer to non-crypto-currency as "fiat," since cryptocurrency is also fiat.
It's a misnomer.
Cold War is a misnomer cause the bloodshed in the third world was horrendous.
Origin
The noun is derived from Late Middle English misnoumer (“(law) mistaken identification ofThe noun is derived from Late Middle English misnoumer (“(law) mistaken identification of a person; plea based on such misidentification”), from Anglo-Norman mesnomer, a noun use of Anglo-Norman mesnomer, mesnommer, and Old French mesnomer, mesnommer (“to name incorrectly”), from mes- (prefix meaning ‘badly, wrongly’) + nomer, nommer (“to name”) (from Latin nōmināre, the present active infinitive of nōminō (“to name”), from nōmen (“name”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ (“name”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
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Forms
misnomers, misnomering, misnomered, misnomered| Base form | misnomer · to misnomer |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | misnomers |
| Present participle | misnomering |
| Past simple | misnomered |
| Past participle | misnomered |
regular · Lesson
Synonyms
1 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle