'misperception' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'perception' from Latin 'perceptio', meaning 'a taking in'.

'perceptio' transformed into the Old French word 'perception', and eventually became the modern English word 'perception', with 'mis-' added to form 'misperception'.

Initially, it meant 'a wrong understanding', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.