Erraticity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of showing unpredictable and unstable behavior is marked by irregular changes or fluctuations in actions and results
2. The trait of lacking consistency or regularity in behavior or performance
3. A condition marked by irregular fluctuations that make outcomes difficult to predict

Etymology: "Erraticity" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "erratic" with the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning the quality or state of being that adjective. So "erraticity" is simply "the quality of being erratic." The adjective it rests on carries the older story. "Erratic" comes from Latin "erraticus," meaning wandering or straying, from "errare," to wander. That root is also behind "err" and "error," so a word for something that wanders off course shares ancestry with the idea of making a mistake. The original sense was literal movement: an erratic was a wanderer, and geologists later used "erratic" for boulders carried far from their home rock by glaciers, which is still a standard term. The suffix "-ity" is itself borrowed through Old French and Latin from Greek-derived patterns, which is why it attaches so readily to English adjectives such as "rapidity" or "stability." Taking "erratic" and adding it produces a noun for the quality of wandering unpredictably, the same pattern that gives "elasticity" from "elastic."

Synonyms: inconsistency, irregularity

Antonyms: consistency, regularity