misnomer

Everyday

A name or word that is wrong or misleading for the thing it describes. tree →

In the lessons

In science and everyday life, many names are misnomers: a jellyfish is not a fish, a starfish is not a fish, peanuts are not nuts (they are legumes), koala «bears» are not bears, and lead pencils contain graphite, not lead. Spotting misnomers is great for quizzes. Phrases: «a bit of a misnomer», «a well-known misnomer».

Examples

• «Starfish» is a misnomer, because it is not a fish. tree →
• Calling a koala a «bear» is a misnomer – it is a marsupial. tree →
• «Lead pencil» is a misnomer: pencils contain graphite. tree →
• The «Tasmanian tiger» was a misnomer: it was a marsupial, not a cat. tree →
• Peanut is a misnomer; peanuts are legumes, like peas. tree →
• «Guinea pig» is a misnomer – they are not pigs and not from Guinea. tree →
• The «quiet carriage» was a misnomer that day. tree →
• Our teacher loves finding misnomers in English. tree →

Note

Countable: one misnomer, two misnomers. Pronounced «mis-NOH-mer». Not the same as a «misprint» or a «mispronunciation». «Mis-» = wrongly, «nomen» = name (Latin). Not a maths word.