To fail to understand something correctly, or to interpret something in a way that differs from what was intended.
Formed by adding 'mis-' (wrongly) to 'understand,' which comes from Old English 'understandan' literally meaning 'to stand among' or 'stand close to.' The prefix transforms successful comprehension into failed comprehension.
The original 'understand' meant to 'stand among' things to comprehend them! So misunderstanding is like standing in the wrong place entirely - you're observing the same situation but from a position that gives you a completely different perspective.
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