different between unstable vs errant
unstable
English
Etymology
un- +? stable
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?n?ste?b??/
- Rhymes: -e?b?l
Adjective
unstable (comparative more unstable, superlative most unstable)
- Having a strong tendency to change.
- Fluctuating; not constant.
- Fickle.
- Unpredictable.
- (chemistry) Readily decomposable.
- (physics) Radioactive, especially with a short half-life.
Synonyms
- (having strong tendency to change): labile
- (fluctuating, not constant): instable (rare); see also Thesaurus:unsteady
- (fickle): arbitrary, capricious
- (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over): tottering, unsteady, wobbly; see also Thesaurus:rickety
Antonyms
- stable
Related terms
- instability
- unstability (rare)
Translations
Verb
unstable (third-person singular simple present unstables, present participle unstabling, simple past and past participle unstabled)
- (transitive) To release (an animal) from a stable.
Anagrams
- abluents, ant-blues, bleaunts, blue ants, tunables, unablest
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errant
English
Alternative forms
- erraunt (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English erraunt, from Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, from Latin errans (“wandering”). Doublet of arrant.
Pronunciation
- (US, UK) IPA(key): /????nt/
- Homophone: arrant (in accents with the Mary–marry–merry merger)
Adjective
errant (comparative more errant, superlative most errant)
- Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.
- Wandering; roving around.
- Prone to making errors; misbehaved.
- We ran down the street in pursuit of the errant dog.
- (proscribed) Utter, complete (negative); arrant.
Usage notes
Sometimes arrant (“utter, complete”) is considered simply an alternative spelling and pronunciation of errant, though most authorities distinguish them, reserving errant to mean “wandering” and using it after the noun it modifies, notably in “knight errant”, while using arrant to mean “utter”, in a negative sense, and before the noun it modifies, notably in “arrant knaves”.
Etymologically, arrant arose as a variant of errant, but the meanings have long since diverged. Both terms are primarily used in set phrases (which may be considered cliché) and, since they are easily confused, some authorities suggest against using either.
Synonyms
- (utter, complete): arrant (generally distinguished; see usage)
Derived terms
- knight-errant
- arrant
Translations
Noun
errant (plural errants)
- A knight-errant.
References
- “errant”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, ?ISBN
- Paul Brians (May 17, 2016) , “arrant/errant”, in Common Errors in English Usage?[3]
- William Safire (January 22, 2006) , “On Language: Arrant Nonsense”, in New York Times?[4]
- “errant, arrant”, in Merriam–Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage?[5], 1995, page 406
Anagrams
- Ranter, Ratner, Terran, ranter, terran
French
Etymology
From Old French errant, from Latin err?ns, err?ntem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /e.???/
Verb
errant
- present participle of errer
Adjective
errant (feminine singular errante, masculine plural errants, feminine plural errantes)
- wandering, stray
- errant (clarification of this definition is needed)
Further reading
- “errant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Anagrams
- rentra
Latin
Verb
errant
- third-person plural present active indicative of err?
Old French
Etymology
Present participle of errer (“to wander”), from Latin iter? (“I travel; I voyage”) rather than from err?, which is the ancestor of the other etymology of error (“to err; to make an error”).
Adjective
errant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular errant or errante)
- wandering; nomadic
Descendants
- English: errant
- French: errant
errant From the web:
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