English Online Dictionary. What means mistake? What does mistake mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English mistaken, from Old Norse mistaka (“to take in error, to miscarry”); equivalent to mis- + take. Cognate with Icelandic mistaka (“to mistake”), Swedish missta (“to mistake”) (before apocope misstaga).
The noun, which replaced earlier mistaking, is derived from the verb.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mɪˈsteɪk/
- Rhymes: -eɪk
Verb
mistake (third-person singular simple present mistakes, present participle mistaking, simple past mistook, past participle mistaken)
- (transitive) To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.
- (transitive, obsolete) To misunderstand (someone).
- (intransitive, obsolete) To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.
- 1720, Jonathan Swift, “Letter to a Young Clergyman” in The Works of Jonathan Swift, London: Charles Elliot, 1784, Volume 10, pp. 6-7,[2]
- No gentleman thinks it is safe or prudent to send a servant with a message, without repeating it more than once, and endeavouring to put it into terms brought down to the capacity of the bearer; yet, after all this care, it is frequent for servants to mistake, and sometimes occasion misunderstandings among friends […]
- (obsolete, rare) To take or choose wrongly.
Derived terms
- mistake fare
Related terms
- mistaken
Translations
Noun
mistake (plural mistakes)
- An error.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:error
- 1877, Henry Heth, quoting Robert E. Lee, in "Causes of the Defeat of Gen. Lee's Army at the Battle of GettysburgOpinions of Leading Confederate Soldiers.", Southern Historical Society Papers (1877), editor Rev. J. WM. Jones [4]
- After it is all over, as stupid a fellow as I am can see that mistakes were made. I notice, however, that my mistakes are never told me until it is too late.
- (baseball) A pitch which was intended to be pitched in a hard-to-hit location, but instead ends up in an easy-to-hit place.
Usage notes
- Usually make a mistake. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams
- ketmias, makes it
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English mistake.
Noun
mistake m (plural mistakes)
- (Louisiana, Cajun) error, mistake