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mistake

[mi-steyk]

Origin

noun

an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

a misunderstanding or misconception.

verb (used with object)

to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else: I mistook him for the mayor.

to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly; misunderstand; misinterpret.

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Mistake is one of our favorite verbs.

So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:

to run away hurriedly; flee.

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

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verb (used without object)

to be in error.

Idiom

and no mistake, for certain; surely: He's an honorable person, and no mistake.

Origin:
1300–30; Middle English mistaken (v.) < Old Norse mistaka to take in error. See mis-¹, take

Related forms

mis·tak·er, noun

mis·tak·ing·ly, adverb

un·mis·tak·ing, adjective

un·mis·tak·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confused: misnomer, mistake (see synonym note at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. inaccuracy, erratum, fault, oversight. Mistake, blunder, error, slip refer to deviations from right, accuracy, correctness, or truth. A mistake, grave or trivial, is caused by bad judgment or a disregard of rule or principle: It was a mistake to argue. A blunder is a careless, stupid, or gross mistake in action or speech, suggesting awkwardness, heedlessness, or ignorance: Through his blunder the message was lost. An error (often interchanged with mistake) is an unintentional wandering or deviation from accuracy, or right conduct: an error in addition. A slip is usually a minor mistake made through haste or carelessness: a slip of the tongue. 4. misconceive, misjudge, err.

Antonyms
2. understanding.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To mistake

Collins

World English Dictionary

mistake (mɪˈsteɪk)

—n
1.	an error or blunder in action, opinion, or judgment
2.	a misconception or misunderstanding

—vb (foll by for) , -takes, -taking, -took, -taken
3.	(tr) to misunderstand; misinterpret: she mistook his meaning
4.	to take (for), interpret (as), or confuse (with): she mistook his direct manner for honesty
5.	(tr) to choose badly or incorrectly: he mistook his path
6.	(intr) to make a mistake in action, opinion, judgment, etc

[C13 (meaning: to do wrong, err): from Old Norse mistaka to take erroneously]

mis'taker

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

mistake

early 14c., from O.N. mistaka "take in error, miscarry," from mis- "wrongly" (see mis- (1)) + taka "take." The noun is attested from 1630s. Related: Mistakenly.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

mistake

In addition to the idiom beginning with mistake, also see by mistake; make no mistake.