misnomer
English
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman mesnomer, noun use of Anglo-Norman and Old French verb mesnomer (“to name incorrectly”), from mes- (“mis-”) + nomer (“to name”) (from Latin nōmināre).
Pronunciation
- (RP) IPA: /mɪsˈnəʊmə/, X-SAMPA: /mIs"n@Um@/
- (US) IPA: /mɪsˈnoʊmɚ/, X-SAMPA: /mIs"noUm@`/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊmə(r)
Noun
misnomer (plural misnomers)
- A use of a term that is misleading; a misname.
- Calling it a driveway is a bit of a misnomer, since you don't drive on it, you park on it.
- A term that is misleading.
- Chinese checkers is a misnomer since the game has nothing to do with China.
- A term whose sense in common usage conflicts with a technical sense.
Usage notes
The term misnomer is sometimes used autologically as "something asserted not to be true; a myth or mistaken belief", as in the following example:
- It's a misnomer that engineers can't write.
Synonyms
Translations
a use of term that is misleading
a term that is misleading
a term whose sense in common usage conflicts with a technical sense
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See also
Verb
misnomer (third-person singular simple present misnomers, present participle misnomering, simple past and past participle misnomered)
- (transitive) To use a misleading term; to misname.