misnomer
noun
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Don't Mistake the Meaning of Misnomer
What’s in a name? Well, in some cases, a name will contain an error, a misunderstanding, or a mislabeling. Historians have long noted that the Holy Roman Empire was not holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed’s Hill. And the Pennsylvania Dutch are in fact of German ancestry. For such cases, we have the term misnomer, which can refer both to the use of an incorrect or inappropriate designation (as in “it’s a misnomer to call an orca a ‘killer whale’”) or to the designation itself. Regardless, there’s no mistaking the source of misnomer: it comes from the Anglo-French verb mesnomer (“to misname”) and ultimately has its roots in nomen, the Latin word for “name.”
Examples of misnomer in a Sentence
Mike Maynard, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
The name Dry Tortugas National Park is a bit of a misnomer, considering that less than one percent of this Florida national park’s 100 square miles is dry land.
—Matt Kirouac, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Apr. 2023
Nintendo The Legend of Zelda has always been been a misnomer, and not only because the franchise’s game has had very little to do with Princess Zelda (or really any women) in any significant way.
—Julie Muncy, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2017
From a brand rich in haute horology, calling a timepiece a sports watch is really a misnomer.
—Roberta Naas, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Misnomer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misnomer
noun
Legal Definition
misnomer
noun
Note: Amendment of the pleadings is generally allowed in cases of misnomer.
Anglo-French mesnomer, from mesnomer to misname, from Middle French mes- wrongly + nommer to name, from Latin nominare, from nomin-, nomen name
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