errant

adjective

er·​rant ˈer-ənt 

ˈe-rənt

1

a

: behaving wrongly

an errant child

b

: straying outside the proper path or bounds

an errant calf

c

: moving about aimlessly or irregularly

an errant breeze

d

: fallible

2

: traveling or given to traveling

an errant knight

errant noun

errantly adverb

Did you know?

Errant has a split history. It comes from Anglo-French, a language in which two confusingly similar verbs with identical spellings ("errer") coexisted. One errer meant "to err" and comes from the Latin errare, meaning "to wander" or "to err." The second errer meant "to travel," and traces to the Latin iter, meaning "road" or "journey." Both "errer" homographs contributed to the development of "errant," which not surprisingly has to do with both moving about and being mistaken. A "knight-errant" travels around in search of adventures. Cowboys round up "errant calves." An "errant child" is one who misbehaves. (You might also see "arrant" occasionally - it's a word that originated as an alteration of "errant" and that usually means "extreme" or "shameless.")

Synonyms

• bad
• contrary
• froward
• misbehaving
• mischievous
• naughty

Examples of errant in a Sentence

The teacher blamed the prank on errant students.

the errant gunslinger as a standard character in western novels

Recent Examples on the Web

Mere minutes later, after play continued and Auburn guard Aden Holloway appeared to step out of bounds trying to save an errant ball, Gates was jumping up and down on the sideline while petitioning with an official. —Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024

The main issue is not errant American or Taiwanese rhetoric but the mounting threat of very real Chinese violence. —Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

But McLaughlin snapped the ball too early on the next play, and the errant snap was pounced on by Jalen Milroe for a 13-yard loss. —Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2024

That deadly 1980 collision helped lead to the adoption of stronger national standards for bridges, including protection from errant ships, in the years that followed, safety experts said. —Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024

The camp is attended by a private staff, who cook meals over a campfire, swap stories about life in the bush, and can help chase away any errant hippos that might wander by. —Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024

That’s to your credit and, insofar as your errant old minister helped shape the moral sensibility of your church, just possibly to his. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Topping found few of these orbs below the soil layer with the errant radiocarbon dates, and few after. —Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024

Israel initially said she was killed on May 11, 2022, by errant Palestinian fire, though independent investigations, including by the U.N., concluded that she was killed by the Israeli security forces. —Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English erraunt, from Anglo-French errant, present participle of errer to err & errer to travel, from Late Latin iterare, from Latin iter road, journey — more at itinerant

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing errant

• knight-errant

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Kids Definition

errant

adjective

er·​rant ˈer-ənt 

1

a

: moving around from place to place without apparent purpose or goal

b

: wandering in search of adventure

an errant knight

2

a

: straying outside proper bounds

an errant calf

b

: behaving or having behaved badly or wrongfully

errantry

-ən-trē

noun