arrant
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
- arraunt (obsolete)
[edit] Etymology
Alteration of errant. Originally meaning wandering (errant), the term came to be an intensifier due to its use as an epithet, e.g. in the phrases "arrant thieves" and "arrant knaves" (i.e., wandering bandits).[1]
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
arrant (comparative arranter, superlative arrantest)
- Utter; complete.
- arrant nonsense!
- circa 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, scene 1:
- We are arrant knaves all; believe none of us.
- Alternative spelling of errant.
[edit] Usage notes
Particularly used in the phrase “arrant knaves”, quoting Hamlet, and “arrant nonsense”.[2]
Some dictionaries consider arrant simply an alternative form of errant, but in usage they have long split.
The word has long been considered archaic, may be confused with errant, and is used primarily in clichés, on which basis some recommend against using it.
[edit] Translations
utter
errant — see errant
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[edit] References
- “arrant/errant”, Common Errors in English Usage, Paul Brians
- On Language: Arrant Nonsense, William Safire, January 22, 2006, New York Times
- Merriam–Webster’s dictionary of English usage, 1995, “errant, arrant”, pp. 406–407
