Mistaking

mis·take  (m-stk)

n.

1. An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness.

2. A misconception or misunderstanding.

v. mis·took (m-stk), mis·tak·en (m-stkn), mis·tak·ing, mis·takes

v.tr.

1. To understand wrongly; misinterpret: mistook my politeness for friendliness.

2. To recognize or identify incorrectly: He mistook her for her sister.

v.intr.

To make a mistake; err.

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[From Middle English mistaken, to misunderstand, from Old Norse mistaka, to take in error : mis-, wrongly; see mei-¹ in Indo-European roots + taka, to take.]

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mis·taker n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mistaking - putting the wrong interpretation on; "his misinterpretation of the question caused his error"; "there was no mistaking her meaning" misinterpretation, misunderstanding interpretation - an explanation that results from interpreting something; "the report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence" imbroglio - a very embarrassing misunderstanding misconstrual, misconstruction - a kind of misinterpretation resulting from putting a wrong construction on words or actions (often deliberately) misreading - misinterpretation caused by inaccurate reading