I. ə̇ˈrad.]ik, (ˈ)e|r-, ēˈr-, -at], ]ēk adjective
also er·rat·i·cal ]ə̇kəl, ]ēk-\
Etymology: erratic from Middle English erratik, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French erratique, from Latin erraticus, from erratus (past participle of errare to wander, err) + -icus -ic; erratical from erratic + -al — more at err
1.
a. : having no fixed course : wandering
an erratic comet
b. archaic : having no fixed residence : nomadic
those savages although erratic must remain long enough in one position to cultivate this grain — Z.M.Pike
2. : transported by a glacier from an original resting place
erratic boulder
erratic block
3.
a. : characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity : unpredictable , capricious
erratic as an unroped steer — New Republic
: fluctuating
the hog market was erratic but pork remained steady
: uneven
the pitcher showed erratic control, throwing too many wild pitches
specifically : marked by irregular changes of direction
the erratic course of the river
streets that run at erratic angles
b. : deviating from what is ordinary or standard (as in nature, behavior, or opinion) : odd , eccentric
the key to the code was the erratic punctuation
he must have been … scandalously erratic from the Puritan point of view — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
Synonyms: see strange
II. noun
( -s )
: one that is erratic
we have erratics, unscholarly foolish persons — Joseph Cook
specifically : an erratic boulder or block of rock