Aberrant
/ˈæb.ər.ənt/noun
Departing from what is normal, usual, or expected.
Did you know?Aberrant comes from Latin ab- (“away”) + errare (“to wander, stray”), the same ancient root behind error, err, and errant — so in the oldest sense, to be aberrant is to be spiritually off-course.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
aberrantem
“straying away; wandering off”
Classical Latin
Latin
aberrāre
“to wander away, stray, deviate”
Latin
Latin
ab- + errāre
“away + to wander, stray”
14th Century
English
aberrant
“deviating from the normal course or type”
Modern English
English
aberrant
“departing from what is normal, usual, or expected”