Word
errant
Phoneticser·rant
US/ˈɛɹənt/
UK/ˈɛɹənt/
Definitions
01straying from a path
adj. moving away from the correct path or position, like a ball that goes the wrong way.
adj. straying from the proper course or outside established limits; often used to describe physical objects that have gone off-course.
“An errant golf ball flew over the fence and landed in the neighbor's garden.”
“The golfer watched in dismay as his errant shot sliced toward the parking lot, narrowly missing a row of parked cars.”
Formal
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it modifies.
Antonyms
02misbehaving
adj. behaving badly or failing to follow the rules.
adj. failing to adhere to accepted standards or morals; misbehaving or delinquent.
“The teacher had to call the parents of the errant student.”
“The board of directors decided to penalize the errant executive for his repeated violations of the company's ethical code.”
Formal
Synonyms
03wandering in search of adventure
adj. traveling around in search of adventure, especially a knight in old stories.
adj. roving or wandering in search of adventure; most commonly found in the fixed phrase 'knight-errant'.
“The book tells the story of a knight-errant traveling across the kingdom.”
“Medieval romances often featured a knight-errant who wandered the countryside performing deeds of chivalry to prove his worth.”
Archaic · Literary
Usage
Frequently appears as part of the compound noun 'knight-errant'.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“It was also Dorgu’s errant header that handed City the ball to allow the attack to be launched.” “Large majorities, meanwhile, can allow errant members to wander, with little risk to the majority party’s policy goals.” Etymology
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-European h₁ers- (“to flow”). Doublet of arrant.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/errant