random

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Middle English raundon, from Old French randon, from randir (“to gallop”) ( > French randonnée (“long walk, hike”)), from Frankish *rant, *rand (“a running”), from Proto-Germanic *randijō (“a running”), from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *ren- (“to rise; to sink”). See run.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

random (plural randoms)

  1. (obsolete) Speed, full speed; impetuosity, force. [14th-17th c.]
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book I.10:
      And therwith two of them dressid their sperys, and Ulfyus and Brastias dressid theire speres, and ranne to gyder with grete raundon.
  2. (obsolete) The full range of a bullet or other projectile; hence, the angle at which a weapon is tilted to allow the greatest range. [16th-19th c.]
    • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 144:
      Fortie yards will they shoot levell, or very neare the marke, and 120 is their best at Random.
  3. (figuratively, colloquial) An undefined, unknown or unimportant person; a person of no consequence. [from 20th c.]
    The party was boring. It was full of randoms.

Synonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

obsolete: speed, full speed; impetuosity, force
unimportant person

Adjective [edit]

random (comparative more random, superlative most random)

  1. Having unpredictable outcomes and, in the ideal case, all outcomes equally probable; resulting from such selection; lacking statistical correlation.
    The flip of a fair coin is purely random.
    The newspaper conducted a random sample of five hundred American teenagers.
    The results of the field survey look random by several different measures.
    • July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises[1]
      Where the Joker preys on our fears of random, irrational acts of terror, Bane has an all-consuming, dictatorial agenda that’s more stable and permanent, a New World Order that’s been planned out with the precision of a military coup.
  2. (mathematics) Of or relating to probability distribution.
    A toss of loaded dice is still random, though biased.
  3. (computing) Pseudorandom in contrast to truly random; mimicking the result of random selection.
    The rand function generates a random number from a seed.
  4. (somewhat colloquial) Representative and undistinguished; typical and average; selected for no particular reason.
    A random American off the street couldn't tell the difference.
  5. (somewhat colloquial) Apropos of nothing; lacking context; unexpected; having apparent lack of plan, cause, or reason.
    That was a completely random comment.
    The teacher's bartending story was interesting, but random.
    The narrative takes a random course.
  6. (colloquial) Characterized by or often saying random things; habitually using non sequiturs.
    You're so random!

Synonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

terms derived from random (adjective)

Translations [edit]

all outcomes being unpredictable
mathematics: of or relating to probability distribution
computing: pseudorandom
undistinguished, average
apropos of nothing
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

See also [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=random&oldid=20476529"