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Errant

//ˈɛɹ(ə)nt// adj, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.

    "In that there are just seven Planets or errant Stars in the lower Orbs of heaven: but it is now demonstrable unto sense, that there are many more"

  2. 2
    Roving around; wandering.
  3. 3
    Prone to erring or making errors; misbehaving.

    "We ran down the street in pursuit of the errant dog."

  4. 4
    Obsolete form of arrant (“complete; downright, utter”). alt-of, obsolete

    "Thy company, if I slept not very well / A nights, would make me an errant fool […]"

Adjective
  1. 1
    uncontrolled motion that is irregular or unpredictable wordnet
  2. 2
    straying from the right course or from accepted standards wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    A knight-errant.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English erraunt [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, the present participle of errer (“to walk (to); to wander (to); (figuratively) to travel, voyage”), and then: * from Vulgar Latin iterāre (compare Late Latin itinerāre, itinerāri (“to travel, voyage”)), from Latin iter (“a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”); and * from Latin errantem, the accusative feminine or masculine singular of errāns (“straying, errant; wandering”), the present active participle of errō (“to rove, wander; to get lost, go astray; to err, wander from the truth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to flow”). Doublet of arrant.

Etymology 2

From Middle English erraunt [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, the present participle of errer (“to walk (to); to wander (to); (figuratively) to travel, voyage”), and then: * from Vulgar Latin iterāre (compare Late Latin itinerāre, itinerāri (“to travel, voyage”)), from Latin iter (“a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”); and * from Latin errantem, the accusative feminine or masculine singular of errāns (“straying, errant; wandering”), the present active participle of errō (“to rove, wander; to get lost, go astray; to err, wander from the truth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to flow”). Doublet of arrant.

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