err
- 01 C1 Advanced
to make a mistake or be wrong about something.
to make an error in judgment or action. Often used in the idiom 'to err on the side of' to describe choosing a safer or more generous option.
Simple“It is better to err on the side of caution when driving in the snow.”
In context“The committee decided to err on the side of generosity, awarding the grant to several borderline candidates despite the budget constraints.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
to do something that is morally wrong or to break a religious rule.
to transgress a moral or religious code. Frequently encountered in the proverb 'to err is human, to forgive divine'.
Simple“The priest reminded the people that all humans err at some point.”
In context“In his final sermon, the minister spoke of the inherent tendency of the soul to err when separated from its community.”
“When an animated robot erred, people seemed caught off guard and had to work harder to make sense of an awkward social situation.”
From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger, wrath, ire”), Old English iersian (“to be angry with, rage, irritate, provoke”), Old English ierre (“wandering, gone astray, confused”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.