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Origin and history of errant

errant(adj.)

mid-14c., "traveling, roving," from Anglo-French erraunt, from two Old French words that were confused even before they reached English: 1. Old French errant, present participle of errer "to travel or wander," from Late Latin iterare, from Latin iter "journey, way," from root of ire "to go" (from PIE root *ei- "to go"); 2. Old French errant, past participle of errer (see err). The senses fused in English 14c., but much of the sense of the latter since has gone with arrant.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to errant

arrant(adj.)

late 14c., variant of errant (q.v.); at first merely derogatory, "wandering, vagrant;" then (16c.) gradually losing its opprobrious force and acquiring a meaning "thoroughgoing, downright, notorious."

err(v.)

c. 1300, from Old French errer "go astray, lose one's way; make a mistake; transgress," from Latin errare "wander, go astray," figuratively "be in error," from PIE root *ers- (1) "be in motion, wander around" (source also of Sanskrit arsati "flows;" Old English ierre "angry; straying;" Old Frisian ire "angry;" Old High German irri "angry," irron "astray;" Gothic airziþa "error; deception;" the Germanic words reflecting the notion of anger as a "straying" from normal composure). Related: Erred; erring.

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