'mismatch' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'mis-' (from Old English 'mis-'), where 'mis-' meant 'wrongly' or 'badly', combined with 'match' (from Old English 'mæcca') meaning 'mate' or 'equal'.

'mismatch' formed in Modern English by combining the prefix 'mis-' and the noun/verb 'match'; it has been used since the 19th century to denote a wrong or unsuitable pairing or lack of correspondence.

Initially it meant 'a wrong or unsuitable pairing', and over time its use broadened to refer generally to any lack of correspondence or agreement between things.