mistake

mistake
\ \ [13] Mistake originally meant literally ‘take in error, take the wrong thing’. It was borrowed from Old Norse mistaka, a compound verb formed from the prefix mis- ‘wrongly’ and takatake’. This sense survived in English for some time (‘to be ever busy, and mistake away the bottles and cans … before they be but half drunk of’, Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair 1614), but gradually through the late Middle English period the notion of ‘error’ came to the fore (it was already present in the Old Norse verb, which was used reflexively for ‘go wrong’, and was probably reinforced by Old French mesprendre, literally ‘take wrongly’, which was also used for ‘err’). The noun use, ‘error’, emerged in the 17th century.
\ \ Cf.TAKE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • mistake — mis·take n 1: an unintentional error esp. in legal procedure or form that does not indicate bad faith and that commonly warrants excuse or relief by the court the court s power to revise a judgment because of fraud, mistake, or irregularity a… …   Law dictionary

  • Mistake — Mis*take (m[i^]s*t[=a]k ), v. t. [imp. & obs. p. p. {Mistook} (m[i^]s*t[oo^]k ); p. p. {Mistaken} (m[i^]s*t[=a]k n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Mistaking}.] [Pref. mis + take: cf. Icel. mistaka.] 1. To take or choose wrongly. [Obs. or R.] Shak. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mistake# — mistake vb Mistake, confuse, confound are comparable when they mean to mix up things, typically by taking one thing for another. One mistakes one thing for another when by an error of perception or of thought or as a result of a predisposition or …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • mistake — [mi stāk′] vt. mistook, mistaken or Obs. mistook, mistaking [ME mistaken < ON mistaka, to take wrongly: see MIS 1 & TAKE] 1. to understand or perceive wrongly; interpret or judge incorrectly [mistake someone s motives] 2. to tak …   English World dictionary

  • Mistake — Mis*take (m[i^]s*t[=a]k ), n. 1. An apprehending wrongly; a misconception; a misunderstanding; a fault in opinion or judgment; an unintentional error of conduct. [1913 Webster] Infallibility is an absolute security of the understanding from all… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mistake — Mis*take , v. i. To err in knowledge, perception, opinion, or judgment; to commit an unintentional error. [1913 Webster] Servants mistake, and sometimes occasion misunderstanding among friends. Swift. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mistake — [n] error, misunderstanding aberration, blooper*, blunder, boo boo*, bungle, confusion, delusion, erratum, false move, false step, fault, faux pas, flub*, fluff*, gaffe, illusion, inaccuracy, inadvertence, lapse, misapplication, misapprehension,… …   New thesaurus

  • mistake — ► NOUN 1) a thing that is incorrect. 2) an error of judgement. ► VERB (past mistook; past part. mistaken) 1) be wrong about. 2) (mistake for) confuse (someone or something) with …   English terms dictionary

  • mistake — mis|take1 W2S2 [mıˈsteık] n 1.) something that has been done in the wrong way, or an opinion or statement that is incorrect →↑error mistake in ▪ We may have made a mistake in our calculations. ▪ a mistake in the law ▪ Ivan s work is always full… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • MISTAKE — A legal transaction requires that the making up of the mind (or the conclusive intention of the parties to close the bargain – gemirat ha da at) be demonstrated (see acquisition , Modes of). When it is apparent that one of the parties lacked such …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • mistake — mis|take1 [ mı steık ] noun count *** 1. ) something that you have not done correctly, or something you say or think that is not correct: make a mistake: I won t make the same mistake again! Don t worry, it s an easy mistake to make. correct a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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