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

Then, our hero (played by Anthony Edwards) discovers from an errant pay-phone call that nuclear war has started. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 July 2024

The Grizzlies were led by star guard Ja Morant (20 points, five assists), who left the game late in the third after coming up limping and calling for a timeout after an errant alley-oop attempt. —Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 6 Nov. 2024

And that was clear to see as he was often errant with his throws, struggling to find his receivers. —Ben Morse, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024

The hapless Wallace and his wily hound Gromit cross paths with an errant gnome in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 12 Oct. 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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