erratic Meaning, Definition & Usage

adjective satellite liable to sudden unpredictable change
mercurial; fickle; quicksilver.
- erratic behavior
- fickle weather
- mercurial twists of temperament
- a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next
adjective satellite having no fixed course
planetary; wandering.
- an erratic comet
- his life followed a wandering course
- a planetary vagabond
adjective satellite likely to perform unpredictably; sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn't"
temperamental.
- erratic winds are the bane of a sailor
- a temperamental motor
- that beautiful but temperamental instrument the flute"- Osbert Lancaster

L. erraticus, fr. errare to wander: cf. F. erratique. See Err.

Having no certain course; roving about without a fixed destination; wandering; moving; -- hence, applied to the planets as distinguished from the fixed stars.
The earth and each erratic world. Blackmore.
Deviating from a wise of the common course in opinion or conduct; eccentric; strange; queer; as, erratic conduct.
Irregular; changeable. "Erratic fever." Harvey.

One who deviates from common and accepted opinions; one who is eccentric or preserve in his intellectual character.
A rogue. Obs. Cockeram.
(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. ✍ In the plural the term is applied especially to the loose gravel and stones on the earth's surface, including what is called drift.