'misattribute' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the verb 'attribute' from Latin 'attribuere', where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'tribuere' meant 'to assign'.

'attribuere' transformed into the Old French word 'atribuer', and eventually became the modern English word 'attribute'. The prefix 'mis-' was added to form 'misattribute'.

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