From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Erratic \Er*rat"ic\, a. [L. erraticus, fr. errare to wander: cf.
F. erratique. See {Err}.]
1. Having no certain course; roving about without a fixed
destination; wandering; moving; -- hence, applied to the
planets as distinguished from the fixed stars.
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The earth and each erratic world. --Blackmore.
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2. Deviating from a wise of the common course in opinion or
conduct; eccentric; strange; queer; as, erratic conduct.
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3. Irregular; changeable. "Erratic fever." --Harvey.
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{Erratic blocks}, {gravel, etc.} (Geol.), masses of stone
which have been transported from their original resting
places by the agency of water, ice, or other causes.
{Erratic phenomena}, the phenomena which relate to
transported materials on the earth's surface.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Erratic \Er*rat"ic\, n.
1. One who deviates from common and accepted opinions; one
who is eccentric or preserve in his intellectual
character.
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2. A rogue. [Obs.] --Cockeram.
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3. (Geol.) Any stone or material that has been borne away
from its original site by natural agencies; esp., a large
block or fragment of rock; a bowlder.
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Note: In the plural the term is applied especially to the
loose gravel and stones on the earth's surface,
including what is called drift.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
erratic
adj 1: liable to sudden unpredictable change; "erratic
behavior"; "fickle weather"; "mercurial twists of
temperament"; "a quicksilver character, cool and willful
at one moment, utterly fragile the next" [syn: {erratic},
{fickle}, {mercurial}, {quicksilver(a)}]
2: having no fixed course; "an erratic comet"; "his life
followed a wandering course"; "a planetary vagabond" [syn:
{erratic}, {planetary}, {wandering}]
3: likely to perform unpredictably; "erratic winds are the bane
of a sailor"; "a temperamental motor; sometimes it would
start and sometimes it wouldn't"; "that beautiful but
temperamental instrument the flute"- Osbert Lancaster [syn:
{erratic}, {temperamental}]
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