past tense of mistake; to incorrectly identify or misunderstand something.
From Old English 'mistaken' (to take wrongly), combining 'mis-' (wrong) and 'take.' The strong verb form shows Old English influence, where the past tense was 'took' from 'take.'
English verbs like 'mistake' preserve a ghost of Old English grammar—'took' and 'mistook' follow patterns that work for only a handful of verbs today (like 'undertake'), making irregular verbs the most stubborn relics of medieval language.
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