errand
[er-uhnd]
- a short and quick trip to accomplish a specific purpose, as to buy something, deliver a package, or convey a message, often for someone else.
- the purpose of such a trip: He finished his errands.
- a special mission or function entrusted to a messenger; commission.
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Origin of errand
before 900; Middle English erande, Old English ærende; cognate with Old High German āruntī; compare Old English ār messenger, Gothic airus
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for errand
Contemporary Examples
He demonstrated that he had the makings of a future Marine after his mother sent him on a last minute errand to a nearby deli.
At the start of the game he is been sent to the fantastic city of Columbia on an errand: to find a girl and have his debt cleaned.
It's a fool's errand when the general electorate is trending in favor of more government.
It is, increasingly, the received wisdom in the West that nation building is a fool's errand.
Despite the obstacles, however, Ephron excelled, moving from errand girl to bona fide writer at the New York Post and Esquire.
Historical Examples
Mr. Paine looked up as he entered, and had no difficulty in guessing his errand.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
It was on this errand that she first visited Boston—we believe in the winter of 1858-59.
Harriet, The Moses of Her PeopleSarah H. Bradford
They offered him no violence, and he performed his errand safely.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward IICharlotte Mary Yonge
Nay, they are neither; but, nevertheless, their errand is a nefarious one.
Camps, Quarters and Casual PlacesArchibald Forbes
This relieved her, and she was able to give an account of her errand on the field of battle.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
errand
- a short trip undertaken to perform a necessary task or commission (esp in the phrase run errands)
- the purpose or object of such a trip
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Word Origin
Old English ǣrende; related to ār messenger, Old Norse erendi message, Old High German ārunti, Swedish ärende
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 errand
n.
Old English ærende "message, mission; answer, news, tidings," from Proto-Germanic *ærundjam (cf. Old Saxon arundi, Old Norse erendi, Danish ærende, Swedish ärende, Old Frisian erende, Old High German arunti "message"). Originally of important missions; meaning "short, simple journey and task" is attested by 1640s. Related: Errands.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with errand
errand
see fool's errand; run an errand.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.