miscalibrating
|mis/cal/i/brat/ing|
🇺🇸
/mɪsˈkælɪbreɪtɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/mɪsˈkælɪbrətɪŋ/
(miscalibrate)
incorrectly adjusted
Etymology
'miscalibrate' is formed from the prefix 'mis-' (from Old English 'mis-' meaning 'badly' or 'wrongly') + 'calibrate' (from French 'calibrer'/'calibre' ultimately from Italian 'calibrare' and Arabic 'qālib' meaning 'mould' or 'model').
'calibrate' entered English via French/Italian (French 'calibrer', Italian 'calibrare') from Medieval Latin adaptations; 'mis-' as a productive negative prefix from Old English was attached to create 'miscalibrate' to mean 'to calibrate wrongly'.
Originally 'calibrate' referred to measuring or adjusting to a standard; the prefixed form 'miscalibrate' took on the specific meaning 'to perform that adjustment incorrectly' and has retained that negative sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of calibrating something incorrectly (gerundial use of 'miscalibrate').
Miscalibrating of the equipment during setup caused the experiment to fail.
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Verb 1
present participle of 'miscalibrate'; performing the action of calibrating (an instrument, device, or system) incorrectly or adjusting it wrongly so that measurements or outputs are inaccurate.
The technician was miscalibrating the sensor, which led to hours of unreliable readings.
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Last updated: 2025/10/30 17:43