err

Elongated form of er (“sound of hesitation”).

Interjection

  1. Elongated form of er (“sound of hesitation”).
    • Err... what did you just say?

Verb

  1. To make a mistake.
    • He erred in his calculations, and made many mistakes.
    • Artificial tests, then, can hardly err on the side of supplying too many opportunities for one bird to see another perform the act which is the model. - 1910, James P. Porter, chapter 2, in Intelligence and Imitation in...
    • Gorbachev’s phrase, “fear to err,” is strikingly reminiscent of President Roosevelt’s phrase, “nothing to fear but fear itself.” - 1989, L[eften] S[tavros] Stavrianos, Lifelines from Our Past: A New World History, New...
  2. To sin.
    • To err is human, to forgive, divine.
  3. to stray.

Origin

From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger, wrath, ire”), Old English iersian (“to be angry with, rage, irritate, provoke”), Old English ierre (“wandering, gone astray, confused”).

Forms

errs erring erred

Derived

errable erroneous err on the side of err on the side of caution error inerrable to err is human