misstep en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Proto-Germanic *missaz Proto-Germanic *missa- Proto-West Germanic *missa- Old English mis- Middle English mys- English mis- Proto-Germanic *stapjaną Proto-West Germanic *stappjan Old English stæppan Middle English steppen English step English misstep From mis- + step.
Meanings
-
A step that is wrong, a false step.
[…] burdened as he was, he did not think of length or height or toil. He remembered only to avoid a misstep and to keep his direction.
1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:On a high ledge, a misstep could be fatal.
-
(figuratively) An error or mistake.
His comment was a misstep that could cost him dearly.
Plenty of past seasons’ events could look ill-conceived in the critical eye of Monday-morning quarterbacking, but previously, the show had earned the benefit of the doubt that missteps on the part of supposedly intelligent characters were a plausible lack of in-world foresight.
2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 22 May 2019:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| mis-step | alternative | lexicographic | |
| missteps | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
faux pas (error) · mistake (error) · error (error)
Translations (27)
nl misstap (step that is wrong) · fr faux pas (step that is wrong) · es marfilada (error or mistake) · sv felsteg (error or mistake) · es tropiezo (error or mistake) · es paso en falso (error or mistake) · es desliz (error or mistake) · ro poticnire (step that is wrong) · de Fehltritt (step that is wrong) · nl misstap (error or mistake) · ru оступи́ться (step that is wrong) · ru опло́шность (error or mistake) · fi harha-askel (error or mistake) · ro pas greșit (step that is wrong) · fr faux pas (error or mistake) · es paso en falso (step that is wrong) · pt passo em falso (step that is wrong) · grc πταῖσμα (step that is wrong) · fr bourde (error or mistake) · nl faux pas (error or mistake) · pt passo em falso (error or mistake) · ro pas greșit (error or mistake) · ru ло́жный шаг (error or mistake) · de Fehltritt (error or mistake) · grc σφάλμα (step that is wrong) · sk chyba (step that is wrong) · fi harha-askel (step that is wrong)