{ } n. the state or condition of being aberrant; a wandering from the right way; deviation from truth, rectitude, etc.
Syn. -- aberrance, aberration, deviance [ 1913 Webster WordNet 1.5 ]

Aberrancy of curvature (Geom.), the deviation of a curve from a circular form. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. an aberrant state or condition. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aberrans, -rantis, p. pr. of aberrare. See Aberr. ] 1. Wandering; straying from the right way. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Deviating from the ordinary or natural type; exceptional; abnormal. [ 1913 Webster ]

The more aberrant any form is, the greater must have been the number of connecting forms which, on my theory, have been exterminated. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + L. terra earth. ] Being or dwelling around the earth. “Circumterraneous demouns.” H. Hallywell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. conterraneus; con- + terra country. ] Of or belonging to the same country. Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. errantia. ] A wandering; state of being in error. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have a secret errand to thee, O king. Judg. iii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will not eat till I have told mine errand. Gen. xxiv. 33. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any specific task, usually of a routine nature, requiring some form of travel, usually locally. An errand is often on behalf of someone else, but sometimes for one's own purposes. [ PJC ]

3. A mission. [ PJC ]

To run an errand, To perform an errand{ 2 }. [ PJC ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Seven planets or errant stars in the lower orbs of heaven. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Notorious; notoriously bad; downright; arrant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Would make me an errant fool. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eng. Law) Journeying; itinerant; -- formerly applied to judges who went on circuit and to bailiffs at large. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who wanders about. [ Obs. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. errare to wander. See Err. ] (Zoöl.) A group of chætopod annelids, including those that are not confined to tubes. See Chætopoda. [ Written also Errantes. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A wandering; a roving; esp., a roving in quest of adventures. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The employment of a knight-errant. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. exterraneus; es out + terra land. ] Foreign; belonging to, or coming from, abroad. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F.; cf. OF. ferrant iron-gray, from L. ferrum iron. ] A stuff made of silk and wool. [ 1913 Webster ]

I did buy a colored silk ferrandine. Pepys. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ . (Elec.) A form of conductor, designed by Ferranti, for currents of high potential, and consisting of concentric tubes of copper separated by an insulating material composed of paper saturated with black mineral wax. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) An increase in the ratio of transformation of an alternating current converter, accompanied by other changes in electrical conditions, occurring when the secondary of the converter is connected with a condenser of moderate capacity; -- so called because first observed in connection with the Ferranti cables in London. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Exemption from error. [ 1913 Webster ]

The absolute inerrancy of the Bible. The Century. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Knight-errants, or Knights-errant. A wandering knight; a knight who traveled in search of adventures, for the purpose of exhibiting military skill, prowess, and generosity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Knight-errantries The character or actions of wandering knights; the practice of wandering in quest of adventures; chivalry; a quixotic or romantic adventure or scheme. [ 1913 Webster ]

The rigid guardian [ i. e., conscience ] of a blameless heart
Is weak with rank knight-erratries o'errun. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. mediterraneus; medius middle + terra land. See Mid, and Terrace. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Inclosed, or nearly inclosed, with land; as, the Mediterranean Sea, between Europe and Africa. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Inland; remote from the ocean. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Cities, as well mediterranean as maritime. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Of, pertaining to, or located in the Mediterranean Sea or on the adjacent lands; as, Mediterranean trade; a Mediterranean voyage; a Mediterranean plant. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. A small two-winged fly (Ceratitis capitata), a native of the Mediterranean countries but now widely distributed in warm regions, which can cause great damage to citrus and other succulent fruit crops when present in large numbers. It is black and white and irregularly banded. It lays eggs in ripening oranges, peaches, and other fruits; when the eggs hatch into larvae (maggots) inside the fruit, they cause the fruit to decay and fall, and make the fruit unsaleable. It is also popularly called the medfly. The possibility of infestation by this and other crop pests has caused some states such as California, where fruit is a major export, to ban the importation of fruit from other regions. Outbreaks of infestation with the medfly have caused California to mobilize major eradication campaigns and have been the subject of political faultfinding. The eradication tactic, of releasing sterile males to break the reproductive cycle, has been used to deal with outbreaks of the medfly. [ PJC ]

a. Inland. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Too rank or luxuriant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. Serranus, a typical genus (fr. L. serra a saw) + -oid. ] (Zool.) Any fish of the family Serranidae, which includes the striped bass, the black sea bass, and many other food fishes. -- a. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the Serranidae. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. subterraneum, F. souterrain. See Subterranean. ] A cave or room under ground. [ R. ] J. Bryant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Subterranean. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. subterraneus; sub under + terra earth. See Terrace. ] Being or lying under the surface of the earth; situated within the earth, or under ground; as, subterranean springs; a subterraneous passage. -- Sub`ter*ra"ne*ous*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. A place under ground; a subterrany. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Subterranean. [ Obs. ] Bacon. -- n. A subterranean place. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Being above ground. “Superterranean quarries.” Mrs. Trollope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. terrain, from L. terra earth. ] 1. (Geol.) A group of rocks having a common age or origin; -- nearly equivalent to formation, but used somewhat less comprehensively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geog.) 2. A region or limited area considered with reference to some special feature; as, the terrane of a river, that is, its drainage basin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]