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aberrant

[uh-ber-uhnt, ab-er-]
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adjective
  1. departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
  2. deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type; exceptional; abnormal.
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noun
  1. an aberrant person, thing, group, etc.
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Origin of aberrant

First recorded in 1820–30, aberrant is from the Latin word aberrant- (stem of aberrāns, present participle of aberrāre to deviate). See ab-, errant
Related formsab·er·rance, ab·er·ran·cy, nounab·er·rant·ly, adverb
Can be confusedaberrant abhorrent

Synonyms

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1. wandering. 2. divergent, unusual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

deviation, unnaturalness, aberration, aberrance, divergence, anomaly, irregularity
British Dictionary definitions for aberrancy

aberrant

adjective
  1. deviating from the normal or usual type, as certain animals from the group in which they are classified
  2. behaving in an abnormal or untypical way
  3. deviating from truth, morality, etc
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Derived Formsaberrance or aberrancy, noun

Word Origin

rare before c19: from the present participle of Latin aberrāre to wander away
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aberrancy

aberrant

adj.

1798, originally in natural history, from Latin aberrantem (nominative aberrans), present participle of aberrare "to wander away, go astray" (see aberration).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
aberrancy in Medicine

aberrant

(ă-bĕr′ənt, ăb′ər-)
adj.
  1. Deviating from the usual course, as certain ducts, vessels, or nerves.
  2. Deviating from the normal; untrue to type.
  3. Out of place; ectopic.
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Related formsab•er′ran•cy n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.