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errant

 - 3 dictionary results

er⋅rant

  [er-uhnt]
Use errant in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To errant
er·rant   (ěr'ənt)   
adj.  

  1. Roving, especially in search of adventure: knights errant.

  2. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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