misascription etymology

Etymology

• Mis- (from Latin mis- "wrong") + ascription (from Latin ad-scribere "to write to, assign")

Meaning

The attribution of something to the wrong source or author.

Origin

The term "misascription" is first attested in the early 19th century. It is likely that the term was coined by scholars in the field of literary criticism, who were concerned with identifying the correct authors of anonymous or disputed works. The term has since been adopted by scholars in other fields, such as history and music, to refer to the incorrect attribution of works or ideas to a particular person or group.

Usage

The term "misascription" is often used in a negative sense, to refer to the deliberate or accidental attribution of something to the wrong source. However, it can also be used in a more neutral sense, to refer to the simple fact that something has been incorrectly attributed.

Examples

• The misascription of the painting "The Starry Night" to Vincent van Gogh's brother, Theo.
• The misascription of the theory of evolution to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, rather than Charles Darwin.
• The misascription of the phrase "All good things must come to an end" to William Shakespeare, when it was actually first used by the Roman poet Terence.

misascription relate terms

• ascription

  Etymology Latin ascribĕre to write on or down to attribute to assign Meaning

• misdoubt

  Misdoubt Etymology The word misdoubt is a combination of the prefix mis meaning w

• blood

  Etymology Old English blōd Proto Germanic blōdam Proto Indo European bhlewdh bhe

• urban

  Etymology Urban Related to a city or urban area derived from the Latin word urbs me

• cipher

  Etymology The word cipher comes from the Old French word chifre which in turn comes

• analogy

  Etymology The word analogy comes from the Greek word analogia which is itself derive

• club

  Etymology The word club comes from the Old English word clubbe which originally ref

• top notch

  Etymology Top notch is an idiom that originated in the 1800s The term notch refers

• oxygen

  Etymology The word oxygen is derived from the Greek roots ὀξύς oxys meanin

• busy

  Etymology Middle English busye from Anglo Norman French busye ultimately from Old Fr