errant

English

Alternative forms

• erraunt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, from Latin errans (“wandering”).

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɛɹənt/

Adjective

errant (comparative more errant, superlative most errant)

1. Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.
   • Sir Thomas Browne

     seven planets or errant stars in the lower orbs of heaven

2. Prone to making errors.
3. (proscribed) Utter, complete (negative); arrant.
   • Ben Jonson

     would make me an errant fool

Usage notes

Sometimes arrant (“utter, complete”) is considered simply an alternative spelling and pronunciation of errant, though many authorities distinguish them, reserving errant to mean “wandering” and using it after the noun it modifies, notably is “knight errant”, while using arrant to mean “utter”, in a negative sense, and before the noun it modifies, notably in “arrant knaves”.

Etymologically, arrant arose as a variant of errant, but the meanings have long since diverged. Both terms are archaic, primarily used in set phrases (which may be considered cliché), and are easily confused, and on that basis some authorities suggest against using either.

Synonyms

• (utter, complete): arrant (generally distinguished; see usage)

Derived terms

• knight-errant
• arrant

Translations

straying from the proper course or standard

• Bulgarian: блуждаещ (bg) (bluždaešt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 迷失 (zh) (mishi)

• Dutch: dolend (nl)
• French: errant (fr)
• German: errant
• Greek: περιπλανώμενος (el) (periplanómenos)
• Italian: errante (it)

• Japanese: 常識はずれ (じょうしきはずれ, jōshikihazure)
• Korean: 편력하는 (pyeollyeokhaneun)
• Latin: errans
• Polish: błędny (pl)
• Portuguese: errante (pt)
• Russian: заблу́дший (ru) (zablúdšij)
• Spanish: errante

traveling in search of adventure

• Bulgarian: странстващ (bg) (stranstvašt)

• Russian: стра́нствующий (ru) (stránstvujuščij), блужда́ющий (ru) (bluždájuščij)

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

Anagrams

• ranter, Ratner, Terran

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French

Verb

errant

1. Present participle of errer.

Adjective

errant m (feminine errante, masculine plural errants, feminine plural errantes)

1. wandering
2. errant (clarification of this French definition is being sought)

Anagrams

• rentra

External links

• “errant” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Latin

Verb

errant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of errō

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Old French

Etymology

Latin errāns.

Adjective

errant

1. wandering; nomadic
   • The Anglo-Norman ‘Alexander’ (‘Le Roman de Toute Chevalerie’) by Thomas of Kent, ed. B. Foster, with the assistance of I. Short, ANTS 29-31 (1976), and 32-33 (1977). Available via anglo-norman.net.

     si est un pople qe n’est mie erranz; Ja n’istra de son regne

     If it's a people that is not nomadic, it will never leave his kingdom