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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

er·rant

Audio Help [er-uh

nt] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying.

2.	journeying or traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously.

3.	moving in an aimless or lightly changing manner: an errant breeze.

[Origin: 1300–50; ME erraunt < MF, OF errant, prp. of errer, edrer to travel < VL *iterāre to journey, for LL itinerārī, deriv. of iter, s. itiner- journey (see itinerary); confused with MF errant, prp. of errer to err

]

—Related forms

er·rant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Errant

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

er·rant Audio Help (ěr'ənt) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Roving, especially in search of adventure: knights errant.
Straying from the proper course or standards: errant youngsters.
1. Wandering outside the established limits: errant lambs.
2. Aimless or irregular in motion: an errant afternoon breeze.

[Middle English erraunt, from Anglo-Norman, partly from Old French errer, to travel about (from Vulgar Latin *iterāre, from Latin iter, journey; see ei- in Indo-European roots) and partly from Old French errer, to err; see err.]

er'rant n., er'rant·ly adv.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
errant

1335, from Anglo-Fr. erraunt, from two O.Fr. words that were confused even before they reached Eng.: 1. O.Fr. errant, prp. of errer "to travel or wander," from L.L. iterare, from L. iter "journey, way," from root of ire "to go" (see ion); 2. O.Fr. errant, pp. of errer (see err). Much of the sense of the latter has gone with Eng. arrant (q.v.).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

errant
adjective
1.	straying from the right course or from accepted standards; "errant youngsters"
2.	uncontrolled motion that is irregular or unpredictable; "an errant breeze"

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Errant

Ar"rant\, a. [OE. erraunt, errant, errand, equiv. to E. errant wandering, which was first applied to vagabonds, as an errant rogue, an errant thief, and hence passed gradually into its present and worse sense. See Errant.] Notoriously or pre["e]minently bad; thorough or downright, in a bad sense; shameless; unmitigated; as, an arrant rogue or coward.

I discover an arrant laziness in my soul. --Fuller.

2. Thorough or downright, in a good sense. [Obs.]

An arrant honest woman. --Burton.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Errant

Er"rant\, a. [F. errant, p. pr. fr. OF. errer to travel, LL. iterare, fr. L. iter journey; confused somewhat with L. errare to err. See Eyre, and cf. Arrant, Itinerant.]

1. Wandering; deviating from an appointed course, or from a direct path; roving.

Seven planets or errant stars in the lower orbs of heaven. --Sir T. Browne.

2. Notorious; notoriously bad; downright; arrant.

Would make me an errant fool. --B. Jonson.

3. (Eng. Law) Journeying; itinerant; -- formerly applied to judges who went on circuit and to bailiffs at large. --Mozley & W.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day Archive - Cite This Source - Share This

errant

errant was Word of the Day on February 27, 2001.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

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