'misdistribute' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'distribute' from Latin 'distribuere', where 'dis-' meant 'apart' and 'tribuere' meant 'to assign'.

'distribuere' transformed into the Old French word 'distribuer', and eventually became the modern English word 'distribute'. The prefix 'mis-' was added to form 'misdistribute'.

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