miscalculate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to calculate a number, amount, distance, or other quantity incorrectly

   The surveyor miscalculated the distance by nearly two kilometres.

2. 2
   verb

   to judge a situation, person, or likely result incorrectly

   The company miscalculated how quickly demand would fall.

Formed from mis-, 'wrongly,' + calculate. Calculate comes from Latin calculare, 'to reckon with counters,' from calculus, a small stone used in counting. The figurative sense extends numerical error to mistaken judgment.

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