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error

n. · v.
US //ˈɛɹɝ// UK //ˈɛɹɐ// er·ror
  1. 1 a mistake (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a mistake or something you do that is not correct.

    a mistake or an accidental wrong action resulting from poor judgement, lack of knowledge, or carelessness.

    Example

    The bank apologized for the error on my monthly statement.

    Example

    The administrative error resulted in several hundred patients receiving the wrong appointment times for their consultations.
    Pitfall
    I made an error in the test.
    I made a mistake in the test.

    While 'error' is correct, 'mistake' is much more common in everyday conversation and school contexts.

  2. 2 computing failure (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Technical Computing

    a problem that stops a computer program from working correctly.

    a failure of a computing device or program to complete a task, often resulting in a system message.

    Example

    A system error occurred while I was trying to save the document.

    Example

    The software threw a critical error during the installation process, forcing the user to restart the operating system.
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  1. 3 scientific/math difference (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Technical Science

    the difference between a measured value and the perfect, true value.

    the numerical difference between a measured or calculated value and the true or theoretical value.

    Example

    The margin of error in the survey was about three percent.

    Example

    Researchers must account for instrumental error when interpreting the data from the high-precision sensors.
  2. 4 language mistake (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Linguistics

    a mistake made by someone learning a new language.

    an unintentional deviation from the rules of a language made by a learner.

    Example

    The teacher corrected the grammatical error in the student's essay.

    Example

    Interlanguage errors often reflect the learner's attempt to apply the grammatical structures of their native tongue to the target language.
  3. 5 legal grounds for appeal (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

    a mistake in a court case that might allow for a new trial.

    a mistake in a judicial proceeding that may provide grounds for a review or reversal of the judgement.

    Example

    The lawyer argued that there was a legal error during the trial.

    Example

    The appellate court found a reversible error in the judge's instructions to the jury, leading to a stay of execution.
  4. 6 to fail or crash (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Technical Computing

    to stop working or show a mistake message on a computer.

    to fail to function properly or to terminate a process prematurely, typically accompanied by a fault report.

    Example

    The app started to error every time I uploaded a photo.

    Example

    The script began to error out after the database reached its maximum storage capacity.
Origin

From Middle English errour, from Anglo-Norman errour, borrowed from Old French error, from Latin error (“wandering about”, noun), derived from the verb errō (“to wander, to err”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌴𐌹 (airzei, “error”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (airzjan, “to lead astray”). More at err. By surface analysis, err + -or (suffix forming nouns of quality, state, or condition).

Idioms1 entry

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