Where does “err” come from?

Err comes from Middle English erren, from Old French errer, from Latin errāre meaning to wander or deviate from a course.

err (English): To make a mistake; To sin; to stray

Definitions

  1. To make a mistake; To sin; to stray

Ancestry of “err”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englisherren—
2Old Frencherrerto walk (to); to wander (to)
3Latinerrantemaccusative masculine singular of errāns;...
4Latinerrōto wander, rove, stray, roam
5Proto-Italicerzāōroam, wander; go astray, waver
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ers-to flow

Words derived from “err”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ers- →Every word from Proto-Italic erzāō →Every word from Latin errō →