vergissing

Vergissing is a Dutch noun meaning a mistake or error that arises from incorrect perception, interpretation, or memory. It covers a range from simple slips to mistaken beliefs, and it typically refers to errors that are not intentional. A vergissing can involve misidentifying someone, misreading information, misremembering a detail, or acting on incorrect assumptions.

Etymology: the word comes from vergissen, meaning to be mistaken. It is formed with the prefix ver- (often indicating negation or reversal) and gissen (to guess). The term dates from Middle Dutch and remains common in both the Netherlands and Flemish usage.

Usage and nuance: Vergissing denotes an involuntary error, as opposed to deliberate deceit or malice. It can occur in perception, memory, or judgment, and its exact sense depends on context, ranging from a factual mistake to a faulty conclusion. In everyday language, people say it was a vergissing to acknowledge an error without implying intent. In more formal writing, it is sometimes refined by specifying the domain, such as a numerical vergissing, a misreading, or a misidentification.

Related terms include fout (error) for a generic wrongdoing, and misvatting (misconception) for a belief that is false from the start. Correcting a vergissing is common in journalism, academia, and public life, where a retraction or correction is issued to restore accuracy.