'misrepresentation' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'representation' from Latin 'repraesentare', meaning 'to show or exhibit'.

'misrepresentation' evolved from the Old French word 'representacion', which was adopted into Middle English as 'representation', and later combined with 'mis-' to form 'misrepresentation'.

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