'misidentify' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the verb 'identify', which comes from Latin 'identificare', meaning 'to make identical'.

'misidentify' evolved from the combination of 'mis-' and 'identify', which was derived from the Latin 'identificare'.

Initially, it meant 'to wrongly make identical', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to wrongly recognize or name'.