Part 818

E*rot"ic, n. An amorous composition or poem.

E*rot"i*cism (?), n. Erotic quality.

Er`pe*tol"o*gist (?), n. Herpetologist.

Er`pe*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Cf. F. erpétologie.] (Zoöl.) Herpetology.

Err (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Erred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Erring (?; 277, 85).] [F. errer, L. errare; akin to G. irren, OHG. irran, v. t., irr&?;n, v. i., OS. irrien, Sw. irra, Dan. irre, Goth, aírzjan to lead astray, airzise astray.] 1. To wander; to roam; to stray. [Archaic] "Why wilt thou err from me?" Keble.

What seemeth to you, if there were to a man an hundred sheep and one of them hath erred.

Wyclif (Matt. xviii. 12).

2. To deviate from the true course; to miss the thing aimed at. "My jealous aim might err." Shak.

3. To miss intellectual truth; to fall into error; to mistake in judgment or opinion; to be mistaken.

The man may err in his judgment of circumstances.

Tillotson.

4. To deviate morally from the right way; to go astray, in a figurative sense; to do wrong; to sin.

Do they not err that devise evil?

Prov. xiv. 22.

5. To offend, as by erring.

Er"ra*ble (?), a. Liable to error; fallible.

Er"ra*ble*ness, n. Liability to error. Dr. H. More.

Er"ra*bund (?), a. [L. errabundus.] Erratic. "Errabund guesses." Southey.

Er"ran*cy (?), n. [L. errantia.] A wandering; state of being in error.

Er"rand (?), n. [OE. erende, erande, message, business, AS. ærende, ærend; akin to OS. arundi, OHG. arunti, Icel. eyrendi, örendi, erendi, Sw. ärende, Dan. ærende; perh. akin to AS. earu swift, Icel. örr, and to L. oriri to rise, E. orient.] A special business intrusted to a messenger; something to be told or done by one sent somewhere for the purpose; often, a verbal message; a commission; as, the servant was sent on an errand; to do an errand. Also, one's purpose in going anywhere.

I have a secret errand to thee, O king.

Judg. iii. 19.

I will not eat till I have told mine errand.

Gen. xxiv. 33.

Er"rant (?), a. [F. errant, p. pr. fr. OF. errer to travel, LL. iterare, fr. L. iter journey; confused somewhat with L. errare to err. See Eyre, and cf. Arrant, Itinerant.] 1. Wandering; deviating from an appointed course, or from a direct path; roving.

Seven planets or errant stars in the lower orbs of heaven.

Sir T. Browne.

2. Notorious; notoriously bad; downright; arrant.