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erraticism

 - 4 dictionary results

er⋅rat⋅ic

  [i-rat-ik]
Use erraticism in a Sentence
–adjective
1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric; queer: erratic behavior.
2. having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds.
3. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin.
4. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows.
–noun
5. an erratic or eccentric person.
6. Geology. an erratic boulder or the like.
Origin:
1325–75; ME < L errāticus, equiv. to errāt(us) (ptp. of errāre to err ) + -icus -ic

Related forms:
er⋅rat⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
er⋅rat⋅i⋅cism, noun

Synonyms:
1. unpredictable, unstable, capricious.

Antonyms:
1. consistent, regular, stable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To erraticism
er·rat·ic   (ĭ-rāt'ĭk)   
adj.  

  1. Having no fixed or regular course; wandering.

  2. Lacking consistency, regularity, or uniformity: an erratic heartbeat.

  3. Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behavior.


[Middle English erratik, from Old French erratique, from Latin errāticus, from errāre, to wander; see ers- in Indo-European roots.]
er·rat'i·cal·ly adv., er·rat'i·cism (-ĭ-sĭz'əm) n.
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

erratic 
c.1374, from O.Fr. erratiquem from L. erraticus, from erratum, pp. of errare "to wander, err" (see err). Sense of "irregular, eccentric" is 1816.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: er·rat·ic
Pronunciation: ir-'at-ik
Function: adjective
1 : characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformityerratic pulse>
2 : deviating from what is ordinary or standard
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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