Dwalian

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An Old English verb meaning to wander off course or stray from the right path ; to hold mistaken beliefs or be misled into error
2. Meaning to roam away from a set way, becoming lost ; describing someone who has been deceived or holds a false opinion
3. To drift from the proper road or course ; to fall into error in thought or faith and be led away from truth

Etymology: Old English "dwalian" meant to go astray, to wander, or to be led into error, and it belongs to a family of words whose sense ranged from physical roaming to mental confusion. Its root is the Germanic "dwal-", which survives in the Old English adjective "dwala," meaning error or foolishness, and in the modern English "dull" family cousins only loosely, so the connection should not be assumed. The sense of error and delusion was already present in the Old English word, so the mental meaning is the older one from the start, not a later extension. The word's relatives reveal the same drift. Old English "dwola" was an error or heresy, and the noun "dwala" could mean a delusion, a mistake, or a stupor. The shared idea is being pulled off the correct path, whether by a walker's feet or by a false belief.