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Webster 1913 Edition


Misnomer

Mis-no′mer

,
Noun.
[OF. pref.
mes-
amiss, wrong (L.
minus
less) + F.
nommer
to name, L.
nominare
, fr.
nomen
name. See
Name
.]
The misnaming of a person in a legal instrument, as in a complaint or indictment; any misnaming of a person or thing; a wrong or inapplicable name or title.
Many of the changes, by a great
misnomer
, called parliamentary “reforms”.
Burke.
The word “synonym” is fact a
misnomer
.
Whately.

Mis-no′mer

,
Verb.
T.
To misname.
[R.]

Webster 1828 Edition


Misnomer

MISNO'MER

,
Noun.
In law, the mistaking of the true name of a person; a misnaming. [Misnosmer, as written by Blackstone, must be a corrupt orthography. In no dialect has name, L. nomen, been written with s, unless by mistake.

Definition 2024


misnomer

misnomer

English

Noun

misnomer (plural misnomers)

  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.
    • 1994, Illinois. Appellate Court, ‎Stephen Davis Porter, Illinois Appellate reports (page 257)
      [] plaintiff's misstyling himself as corporation in initial complaint constituted case of misnomer.
  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

Translations

See also

Verb

misnomer (third-person singular simple present misnomers, present participle misnomering, simple past and past participle misnomered)

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

Anagrams