Used something in a wrong or inappropriate way, or for a purpose it wasn't intended for.
From 'mis-' (Old English prefix meaning wrongly or badly) combined with 'use' (Latin 'usus' meaning employed). The compound has been in use since the 1400s to describe improper application.
Language itself gets misused constantly—words like 'literally' are so often used figuratively that dictionaries have added the non-literal meaning as valid, showing how common misuse can actually change a word's official meaning over time.
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