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View synonyms for errant

errant

[ er-uhnt ]

adjective

  1. deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; erring; straying.
  2. journeying or traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously.
  3. moving in an aimless or lightly changing manner:

    an errant breeze.



errant

/ ˈɛrənt /

adjective

  1. archaic.
    wandering in search of adventure
  2. erring or straying from the right course or accepted standards


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Derived Forms

  • ˈerrantly, adverb

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Other Words From

  • errant·ly adverb
  • non·errant adjective
  • non·errant·ly adverb
  • un·errant adjective
  • un·errant·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of errant1

1300–50; Middle English erraunt < Middle French, Old French errant, present participle of errer, edrer to travel < Vulgar Latin *iterāre to journey, for Late Latin itinerārī, derivative of iter, stem itiner- journey ( itinerary ); confused with Middle French errant, present participle of errer to err

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Word History and Origins

Origin of errant1

C14: from Old French: journeying, from Vulgar Latin iterāre (unattested), from Latin iter journey; influenced by Latin errāre to err

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Example Sentences

The death of innocents at American hands, whether by errant bombs or in the fog of war, would undercut the war’s moral purpose.

Blood carried the therapy to the liver, where it switched off the mutated gene and curtailed production of the errant protein.

Though, when an errant volleyball failed to knock it off the picnic table on which it was sitting, the extra heft came in handy.

Highly flammable solvents are used to make lipids, so cellphones must be encased in special covers to prevent errant sparks.

Josh Bell, who is not the fastest runner — or the next-fastest runner, for that matter — chugged home from first, his dash aided by an errant throw from left fielder Justin Williams to the cut-off man.

When Schettino commanded him to turn the ship, he can be heard repeating errant commands.

Some things have changed a lot since 1984 when the errant Father Buck wrote to his young love interest.

The errant flashes of light in your brain depicting this possibility are strong enough to make you wince and want to cry.

But perhaps another errant remark by Hickenlooper recorded at the meeting sums up the whole imbroglio best.

Gone were the ugly memories of errant throws to the wrong bases or ill-advised cutoffs.

To be checkmated by an 'errant' pawn in the very middle of the board is a most ignominious way of losing the game.

For two days he had faced death, fighting like a legionary or a knight-errant, and in short playing the hero.

Chasing an errant swarm of bees is nothing to following a naked lunatic when the fit of escaping is upon him!

He ought to have been born six or seven hundred years ago, he would have made a delightful knight-errant.

As I live his horse is a mule—what a pity it was not some knight-errant!

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errand boyerrantry