Where does “misunderstanding” come from?
Misunderstanding derives from English understand prefixed with mis-, from Middle English understand, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mey- and meit- combined with steh₂-, meaning to stand.
misunderstanding (English): A mistake as to the meaning of something or a...
Definitions
- A mistake as to the meaning of something or a...
Ancestry of “misunderstanding”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | misunderstand | To understand incorrectly, while believing one... |
| 2 | English | understand | To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly,... |
| 3 | Middle English | understanden | — |
| 4 | Old English | understandan | to understand |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | understandaną | to stand between, stand in the midst, understand |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |
Words derived from “misunderstanding”