errant

CEFRC2

/ˈɛɹ(ə)nt/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Moving away from the correct path or usual place.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Prone to erring or making errors; misbehaving.

Examples

  • Tom scolded John like an errant pupil.

  • We ran down the street in pursuit of the errant dog.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Roving around; wandering.

  2. Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A knight-errant.

More examples

In context

  • In that there are just seven Planets or errant Stars in the lower Orbs of heaven: but it is now demonstrable unto sense, that there are many more

  • Thy company, if I slept not very well / A nights, would make me an errant fool […]

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank knight ignored the king's direct orders to return home.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English erraunt [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, the present participle of errer (“to walk (to); to wander (to); (figuratively) to travel, voyage”), and then: * from Vulgar Latin iterāre (compare Late Latin itinerāre, itinerāri (“to travel, voyage”)), from Latin iter (“a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”); and * from Latin errantem, the accusative feminine or masculine singular of errāns (“straying, errant; wandering”), the present active participle of errō (“to rove, wander; to get lost, go astray; to err, wander from the truth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Euro...