misquote
|mis-quote|
🇺🇸
/mɪsˈkwoʊt/
🇬🇧
/mɪsˈkwəʊt/
wrongly quoting
Etymology
'misquote' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'mis-' + the verb 'quote', where 'mis-' meant 'wrong, mistaken' (from Old English/Proto-Germanic) and 'quote' ultimately comes from Latin 'quotare' meaning 'to mark the number of'.
'misquote' was formed in modern English by combining the negative prefix 'mis-' with the verb 'quote'. The verb 'quote' itself developed from Latin 'quotare' (via Medieval Latin and later Middle English) and eventually entered modern English as 'quote', after which it combined with 'mis-' to create 'misquote'.
Initially formed to mean 'to quote wrongly or inaccurately', this basic sense has remained stable over time and continues to mean 'to attribute incorrect words or an incorrect wording to someone'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an instance of quoting someone inaccurately; an incorrect quotation.
The article contained a misquote that upset the interviewee.
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Verb 1
to quote (someone) inaccurately, attributing words that were not said or altering the original wording.
Reporters sometimes misquote public figures, changing the sense of what was said.
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Adjective 1
used (of a quotation) to indicate that it is incorrect or has been reported inaccurately (typically 'misquoted').
The misquoted sentence changed the meaning of the speech.
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Last updated: 2025/12/24 19:41