01 n. A wandering; a roving or irregular course.
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1.
A wandering; a roving or irregular course.[Obs.]“The rest of his journey, his error by sea.” — B. Jonson.
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2.
A wandering or deviation from the right course or standard; irregularity; mistake; inaccuracy; something made wrong or left wrong; as, an error in writing or in printing; a clerical error.
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3.
A departing or deviation from the truth; falsity; false notion; wrong opinion; mistake; misapprehension.“His judgment was often in error, though his candor remained unimpaired.” — Bancroft.
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4.
A moral offense; violation of duty; a sin or transgression; iniquity; fault.
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5.
The difference between the approximate result and the true result; -- used particularly in the rule of double position.(Math.)
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6.
The difference between an observed value and the true value of a quantity.(Mensuration)
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7.
A mistake in the proceedings of a court of record in matters of law or of fact.(Law.)
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8.
A fault of a player of the side in the field which results in failure to put out a player on the other side, or gives him an unearned base.(Baseball)
Phrases & compounds
Law of error —
the law which expresses the relation between the magnitude of an error and the frequency with which that error will be committed in making a large number of careful measurements of a quantity.
Probable error —
See under Probable.
Writ of error —
an original writ, which lies after judgment in an action at law, in a court of record, to correct some alleged error in the proceedings, or in the judgment of the court.