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Where does the word "random" come from? It comes from Old French randir, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "random" come from? It comes from Old French randir, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Random’s story begins in Old French: randir meant “to run fast.” A Frankish-rooted verb for running at speed. Within Old French, it grew into randon by medieval. 'à randon' meant at great speed, haphazardly. It reached English by 1300s as random. The sense 'by chance' dates from the 1650s. Today, random means made without method or conscious decision.
- Stage 1 · Old French · medieval randir "to run fast", a Frankish-rooted verb for running at speed.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval randon "speed, violence", 'à randon' meant at great speed, haphazardly.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s random "impetuosity", the sense 'by chance' dates from the 1650s.