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
Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 1 July 2024
Starting with what makes for an effective manager, Sievert said the term itself is a misnomer.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 21 June 2024
This is a misnomer: there is no U.S. equivalent of what the Turkish military was 30 years ago, or what the Pakistani military and intelligence service remain today.
—Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2018
Arches National Park, Moab (Image credit: Mark Brodkin Photography / Getty Images)
Arches is not a misnomer, but visitors still might not be prepared for how many of these rock formations are in the park.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 10 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for misnomer 
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Cite this Entry
“Misnomer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer. Accessed 15 Jul. 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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