'misapply' originates from Middle English, specifically the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the verb 'apply' from Latin 'applicare', meaning 'to attach or join'.

'misapply' changed from the Middle English word 'misapplien' and eventually became the modern English word 'misapply'.

Initially, it meant 'to apply wrongly or inappropriately', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.