Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "error" come from? It comes from Latin error, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "error" come from? It comes from Latin error, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Error’s story begins in Latin: error meant “wandering, mistake.” From 'errare', to wander, the root of 'errant' and 'erratic'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as errour. Knights-errant wandered in search of adventure. It reached English by 1300s as error. Computer 'error messages' date from the 1960s. Today, error means a mistake.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient error "wandering, mistake", from 'errare', to wander, the root of 'errant' and 'erratic'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval errour "mistake", knights-errant wandered in search of adventure.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s error "a mistake", computer 'error messages' date from the 1960s.