Erring
/ˈɜːr.ɪŋ/noun
Acting wrongly; deviating from what is right or true.
Did you know?“Err” is tied to an old root meaning “to wander” or “go astray,” which is why English still treats moral failure like getting spiritually lost.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ers-
“to wander, to move about”
Latin
Latin
errare
“to wander, stray; to make a mistake”
Old French
Old French
errer
“to wander, travel about; to err”
Middle English
English
erren
“to stray from the right path; to make a mistake”
Modern English
English
erring
“straying from what is right or true”
Explore more surprising origins