cross-purpose
UK[ˌkrɒs ˈpɜːpəs]US[ˌkrɔːs ˈp�ɜːrpəs]
n
A contrary or conflicting aim or intention.
n
(at cross-purposes) A situation in which people misunderstand each other's intentions or talk about different things without realizing it.
Morpheme Breakdown
cross
purpose
cross
across, opposing
purpose
aim, intention
Etymology
The word 'cross-purpose' is a relatively modern English compound, first appearing in the 17th century. It directly combines 'cross', with its sense of opposition or transverseness derived from the intersecting lines of a crucifix, and 'purpose', meaning an intended goal from its Latin root 'proponere' (to set forth). The logic is transparent: a 'cross-purpose' is literally an aim that lies across or counter to another aim. The phrase 'at cross-purposes' evolved from this concrete notion of conflicting intentions to describe the common social and communicative situation where parties are unknowingly pursuing different conversational goals or operating under mutual misunderstanding.
Analysis
Structure: cross (across, opposing) + purpose (aim, intention)
- cross: From Old English 'cros', from Old Norse 'kross', from Old Irish 'cros', from Latin 'crux, crucis'. In this compound, it functions as an adjective/adverb meaning "across, transverse, opposing."
- purpose: From Old French 'porpos', from 'porposer' (to intend), from Latin 'proponere' (to put forth, propose). In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning "aim, intention, objective."
Examples
Their efforts were at cross-purposes, with one department trying to cut costs and another increasing spending.
We must have been talking at cross-purposes; I was discussing the budget, and you were talking about the schedule.
The two policies, though well-intentioned, served a cross-purpose and ultimately cancelled each other out.