Erroneous
/ɪˈroʊniəs/noun
Containing or based on error; mistaken.
Did you know?Its root is tied to Latin errare, “to wander” or “to stray,” the same ancient idea behind “err” and “error,” so a mistake was once imagined as a kind of spiritual drifting.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ers-
“to move about, wander”
Latin
Latin
errare
“to wander, stray, make a mistake”
Latin
Latin
erroneus
“wandering, mistaken, in error”
Middle English
English
erronious
“mistaken, in error”
Modern English
English
erroneous
“mistaken; containing error”