Where does “misunderstand” come from?
Misunderstand comes from English understand with the prefix mis-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to measure or perceive and to stand or be positioned.
misunderstand (English): To understand incorrectly, while believing one...
Definitions
- To understand incorrectly, while believing one...
Ancestry of “misunderstand”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | understand | To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly,... |
| 2 | Middle English | understanden | — |
| 3 | Old English | understandan | to understand |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | understandaną | to stand between, stand in the midst, understand |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |