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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Erratic

Er-răt'ic or Er-răt'ic-al, a.

adjective

a. [Lat. erraticus, from errare, to wander; Fr. erratique, Pr. erratic, Sp., Pg., & It. erratico. See ERR.]

  1. Having no certain course; roving about without a fixed destination; deviating from a wise or the common course in opinion or conduct; eccentric; as, erratic conduct.
  2. Moving; not fixed or stationary; — applied to the planets, as distinguished from the fixed stars.

Erratic blocks, gravel, &c., masses of stone which have been transported from their original resting-places by the force of water, ice, or other causes. — Erratic phenomena, the phenomena which relate to transported materials on the earth's surface.

Er-rāt'ic, n.

noun

n. 1. One who wanders, especially from rectitude; a rogue. [Obs.] Cockeram. 2. (Geol.) Any stone or material that has been borne away by natural agencies from its original site; a bowlder. In the plural the term is applied especially to the loose gravel and stones on the earth's surface, including what is called drift. Dana.