Misnomer

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /mɪsˈnəʊmÉ™/
• US IPA: /mɪsˈnoÊŠmÉš/
• Rhymes: -əʊmÉ™(r)

Origin

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).

Full definition of misnomer

Noun

1. 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.
2. A term that is misleading.Chinese checkers is a misnomer since the game has nothing to do with China.
3. 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

• misname

Verb

1. (transitive) To use a misleading term; to misname.

Anagrams

• semi-norm, seminorm