Where does “inerrancy” come from?
Inerrancy derives from English errant, which combines Latin in- (not) and Latin errāre (to wander or err), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ne (not) and oyd- (to go).
inerrancy (English): Freedom from error
Definitions
- Freedom from error
Ancestry of “inerrancy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | inerrant | Exhibiting inerrancy; without error |
| 2 | English | errant | Straying from the proper course or standard, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | erraunt | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | erraunt | Alternative form of errant |
| 5 | Old French | errant | wandering; nomadic |
| 6 | Old French | errer | to walk (to); to wander (to) |
| 7 | Latin | errantem | accusative masculine singular of errāns;... |
| 8 | Latin | errō | to wander, rove, stray, roam |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | erzāō | roam, wander; go astray, waver |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ers- | to flow |