erran

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 ]