erratic

erratic
I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin erraticus, from erratus, past participle of errare Date: 14th century 1. a. having no fixed course ; wandering <
an erratic comet
>
b. archaic nomadic 2. transported from an original resting place especially by a glacier <
an erratic boulder
>
3. a. characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity <
erratic dieting
>
<
keeps erratic hours
>
b. deviating from what is ordinary or standard ; eccentric <
an erratic genius
>
Synonyms: see strangeerratical adjectiveerratically adverberraticism noun II. noun Date: circa 1623 one that is erratic; especially an erratic boulder or block of rock

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • erratic — er‧rat‧ic [ɪˈrætɪk] adjective having no pattern or plan, making it difficult to know what is going to happen: • Erratic currency markets led to intervention by the major central banks. • the erratic performance of exports * * * erratic UK US… …   Financial and business terms

  • Erratic — Er*rat ic, a. [L. erraticus, fr. errare to wander: cf. F. erratique. See {Err}.] 1. Having no certain course; roving about without a fixed destination; wandering; moving; hence, applied to the planets as distinguished from the fixed stars. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Erratic — can refer to: *glacial erratic *erratic ant …   Wikipedia

  • erratic — [i rat′ik] adj. [ME erratik < OFr erratique < L erraticus, wandering < pp. of errare: see ERR] 1. having no fixed course or purpose; irregular; random; wandering 2. deviating from the normal, conventional, or customary course; eccentric; …   English World dictionary

  • Erratic — Er*rat ic, n. 1. One who deviates from common and accepted opinions; one who is eccentric or preserve in his intellectual character. [1913 Webster] 2. A rogue. [Obs.] Cockeram. [1913 Webster] 3. (Geol.) Any stone or material that has been borne… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • erratic — index anomalous, astray, broken (interrupted), capricious, desultory, disjointed, eccentric, inconsisten …   Law dictionary

  • erratic — (adj.) late 14c., wandering, moving, from O.Fr. erratique (13c.) and directly from L. erraticus wandering, straying, roving, from erratum an error, mistake, fault, pp. of errare to wander, err (see ERR (Cf. err)). Sense of irregular, eccentric is …   Etymology dictionary

  • erratic — eccentric, odd, queer, *strange, singular, peculiar, unique, quaint, outlandish, curious Analogous words: aberrant, *abnormal, atypical: irregular, unnatural, anomalous: capricious, fickle, mercurial, inconstant Contrasted words: normal, *regular …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • erratic — [adj] unpredictable; wandering aberrant, abnormal, anomalous, arbitrary, bizarre, capricious, changeable, desultory, devious, dicey, directionless, dubious, eccentric, fitful, flaky*, fluctuant, idiosyncratic, iffy*, incalculable, inconsistent,… …   New thesaurus

  • erratic — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not even or regular in pattern or movement. DERIVATIVES erratically adverb erraticism noun …   English terms dictionary

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