Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mislead” come from?

Mislead comes from Middle English misleden, from Old English mislǣdan, from Proto-Germanic missalaidijaną, combining the prefix meaning "wrongly" with a root meaning "to lead."

mislead (English): To lead astray, in a false direction; To deceive...

Definitions

  1. To lead astray, in a false direction; To deceive...

Ancestry of “mislead”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmysleden—
2Old Englishmislǣdanto mislead
3Proto-Germanicmissalaidijanąto mislead

Words derived from “mislead”

  • misleading
  • misled
  • misleadingly
  • misleadeth
  • misleadingness
  • misle
  • unmisleading
  • unmisleadingly
  • misleadest
Every word from Proto-Germanic missalaidijaną →