'misplaced' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'place' from Old English 'plæce', meaning 'a location or position'.

'misplace' evolved from the Old English 'misplæce', which combined 'mis-' and 'plæce', eventually becoming 'misplace' in modern English.

Initially, it meant 'to place wrongly', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.