'misconception' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'conception' from Latin 'conceptio', meaning 'a comprehending or conceiving'.

'conceptio' transformed into the Old French word 'conception', and eventually became the modern English word 'conception'.

Initially, it meant 'the act of conceiving', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a mistaken belief'.