err

wander or stray

Spelled err · errare 'wander; go astray; make a mistake'

Latin errare meant wander: an errant traveler strays, an erratic course wanders, and an error leaves the right path.

Words built from it

err — make a mistake
err (make a mistake)
error — a mistake or incorrect result
err (make a mistake) + -or (state or result)
errant — wandering or straying from the proper course
err (wander) + -ant (doing)
erratic — unpredictable or irregular in movement or behavior
err (wander) + -atic (characterized by)
erroneous — incorrect or based on a mistake
err (make a mistake) + -ous (characterized by)
aberration — a departure from what is normal or expected
ab- (away) + err (wander) + -ation (action or result)

errand — It comes from Old English ærende, 'message or mission,' not Latin errare, 'wander.'
terror — Its err is part of Latin terror, from terrere, 'frighten'; it does not come from errare.