errand
(ˈɛrənd)
Forms: 1–2 ærende, 3–5 ærnde, erende, ernde, errnde (Orm.), arunde, (3 earende, erinde, erd(e)ne), 4 arende, arnd, erned, 5 erunde, 4–6 erand(e, errande, (4 eraunt, -ond(e, herand(e, 5 -end, ardene, arend, eraunde, erdon, ernedde, erundi, herunde, heyrne, 6 haraunte, arande, arnede), 6–7 arrant(e, 7 arrand, -end, earrant, earande, 6–8 errant, (8 dial. arnt), 4– errand.
[OE. ǽrende str. neut., corresp. to OS. ârundi, OHG. ârunti, âronti, ârandi (MHG. erende), ON. eyrindi, örindi, erindi neut. (Da. ærinde, ærend, Sw. ærende). The ulterior etymology is obscure: the OS. and OHG. forms seem to point to an OTeut. type *æ̂rundjo-(m, and the ON. forms to *ărundjo-m neither of which is easy to reconcile with the otherwise plausible (and generally accepted) connexion with Goth. áirus, ON. árr, OS. êru, OE. ár messenger; if any relation exists, the ai of OTeut. *airus must be due to epenthesis.]
† 1. a. A message, a verbal communication to be repeated to a third party. Obs.
| c 890 K. ælfred Bæda ii. ix, He his hlafordes ærende secᵹan sceolde. a 1000 Guthlac 696 (Gr.) Bartholomeus aboden hæfde godes ærendu. c 1200 Ormin Ded. 159 Godd⁓spell onn Ennglissh nemmnedd iss..God errnde. c 1290 Lives Saints (1887) 25 And seiden him þe erende. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. C. 72 Now sweȝe me þider swyftly & say me þis arende. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xiv. 41 The messager..with hus mouth telleþ Hus erande, and hus lettere sheweþ. c 1440 York Myst. xx. 233 To þam youre herand for to say. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. xi. 5 So they tolde him [Saul] the Earande of the Men of Iabes. 1571 Campion Hist. Irel. ii. ix. (1633) 116 They pressed him sore with a trayterous errant, sent by his daughter the Lady of Slahe, to all his brethren. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 22 Tel your King, from me, this errand. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 93 The second messenger came in, and delivered his part of the errand. 1754 Sherlock Disc. (1759) I. iv. 153 Preachers of the Gospel were sent..and the Errand was worthy of Him who sent them. |
b. In religious language: A petition or prayer presented through another (the Virgin Mary).
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 167 Ure lafdi Seinte Marie bere ure arende to ure louerd ihesu crist. c 1440 Bone Flor. 1857 Lady Mary free..Here my errande, as thou well may. c 1460 Emare 8 Mary, hevyn qwene, Bere our arunde..To thy sone. 1849–53 Rock Ch. of Fathers III. ix. 341 The ‘handmaid of the Lord’ was looked upon as one among the appointed bearers of our errands unto heaven. |
2. A going with a message or a commission:
a. In an elevated or dignified sense: A mission, embassy, an expedition for a specific purpose. Now
arch.,
poet., or
rhetorical.
| a 1000 Andreas 215 (Gr.) Ne mæᵹ þæs ærendes ylding wyrðan. 1065 O.E. Chron., Hig læᵹ don ærende on hine to þam cyninge Eadwarde. 1683 Temple Mem. Wks. 1731 I. 477, I never obey'd the King so unwillingly in my Life; both upon Account of an Errand so unnecessary, and, etc. 1744 Thomson Summer 526 Immortal forms, On gracious errands bent. 1837 W. Irving Capt. Bonneville II. 257 They met the guide returning from his secret errand. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xxi. 207 The scene..impressed my brother when he visited it on his errand of rescue. |
b. In
mod. colloquial language,
esp.: A short journey on which an inferior (
e.g. a servant, a child) is sent to convey a message or perform some simple business on behalf of the sender. Phrases,
to run (on) errands,
to go (on) an errand.
| 1642 Charles I Declar. 12 Aug. 13 Attending the doores of both Houses to be employed in their errants. 1859 Dickens T. Two Cities ii. i, He was never absent during business hours, unless upon an errand. |
c. Phrases,
a fool's errand: a profitless undertaking.
† a sleeveless errand: see
sleeveless.
| 1705 Hickeringill Priest-cr. i. (1721) 20 Did not the Pope send all the Princes of Christendom upon a Fool's Errand, to gain the Holy Land? 1840 Marryat Poor Jack viii, The doctor's come on a fool's errand. 1884 Century Mag. Nov. 59/1 He was only going on a fool's errand again. |
3. The business on which one is sent; in wider sense, the object of a journey, a purpose, intention.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 246 Clene bone..cumeð in biuoren Almihti God, & deð þe erinde..wel. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1402 Eliezer..tolde hem..And for quat erdene he ðider nam. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 257 To wone any quyle in þis won, hit watz not myn ernde. a 1400 Cov. Myst. (1841) 282, I come ageyn Fulleche myn Erdon for to spede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 522 The woman..vnder shadow of shame shewid forth hir ernd. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) I. 243 To exercise theire causes and erneddes. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 263/4 Gotard..for certeyne necessitees and erandes retorned into placence. 1484 Paston Lett. No. 881 III. 314 Your sunne dede hese heyrne ryght wele as ye shal her aftyr this. 1598 Yong Diana 24, I..tooke out before me a few goates.. bicause I would not goe without some errant. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 179 Commissions of Justitiarie, suld nocht be granted..for langer space nor the earand in hand may be conveniently perfited. 1610 T. Lorkin in Ellis Orig. Lett. ii. 251 III. 221 The chief errand of my last Letters was to let you understand of our safe comming hither. 1699 Bentley Phal. 70 He had another errant to Persia, than buying of Slaves. 1790 Paley Horæ Paul. Rom. i. 9 The errand which brought him to Jerusalem. 1883 Ouida Wanda I. 3 This errand was distasteful. |
4. to make an errand:
a. (
cf. 2) to make a short journey;
b. (
cf. 3) to find a pretence for going.
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 2513 If thou..any errand mightest make Thider, for thy loves sake. 1491 Act 7 Hen. VII, c. 22 Pream., Y made myn erand unto you for seyng of evydence. 1549 Edward VI Jrnl. in Rem. (1857–8) 249 Guidotty made divers harauntes from the constable of Fraunce to make peace with us. 1580 North Plutarch 729 (R.) He himself made an errand home to fetch such things as he lacked. 1589 Nashe Anat. Absurditie 13 Women..will not stick to make an errant ouer the way. 1850 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxvii, Tom..after vainly waiting for him to come out, determined, at last, to make an errand in. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
errand-bearer,
errand-bringer,
errand-cart,
errand-goer,
errand-porter;
errand-bearing adj.; also,
† erindebere,
ME.,
= errand-bearer;
errand-boy, a boy kept to run on errands; so
errand-girl,
lad;
† erendes-man,
ME., an ambassador;
errand-making,
a., that finds an excuse for accosting or intruding upon a person. Also
erendrake.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 60 Þe liht eie..is ase *erindebere [C. erende beorere] of þe lihteheorte. a 1300 Cursor M. 3226 (Cott.) Apon his kne he did him suere Þat he suld be lel errand berer. 13.. Interloc. Poem in Rel. Ant. I. 146 Thu salt be my herand-bere. |
| 1765 Minute Bk. St. Anne's Sch., Blackfriars in D. Owen Eng. Philanthropy (1965) i. i. 25 [The Mother] suffering her said Boy to go from Place to Place as *Errand-boy instead of keeping him at School. 1815 Tweddell Remains lxviii. 300 (Jod.) Savoyard [a term] for chimney-sweeper and errand-boy at Paris. 1838 Dickens O. Twist x, The tradesman leaves his counter..the errand boy his parcels, the schoolboy his marbles. 1879 ‘E. Garrett’ (Mrs. Mayo) House by Wks. I. 66, I will send the errand boy with thee to carry a note. |
| 1720 Ozell Vertot's Rom. Rep. I. iv. 235 The Consuls..ordered that *Errand-bringer of theirs to be driven away ignominously. |
| 1810 Edin. Rev. XV. 342 Who employs the drivers of *errand-carts to distribute them indiscriminately to travellers. |
| 1782 F. Burney Diary 28 Dec. (1842) II. 220 The green-woman..sent her own *errand-girl. 1860 C. M. Yonge Hopes & Fears II. v. 100 Augusta will be ready to take her in—she is pining for an errand girl. 1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise ii. 31 ‘And who do you think I am,’ I said, ‘the errand-girl?’ |
| 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. v, He was *errand-goer by appointment to the house at the corner. |
| 1887 Pall Mall G. 29 June 13/2 Here, too, were *errand lads, shop lads, clerks. |
| 1599 Warn. Faire Wom. i. 355 These *errand-making gallants are good men, That cannot pass, and see a woman sit..But they will find a 'scuse to stand and prate. |
| c 1205 Lay. 24862 Nah na man demen *erendes-mon [c 1275 heren⁓drake] to dæðen. |
| 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxi, A tattered cadie, or *errand-porter..exclaimed in a strong north⁓country tone. |
Hence
† erranˈdeer [+
-eer1] (see
quot.).
ˈerrander [+
-er1].
rare. One who goes on an errand.
ˈerrandry [+
-ry]
= errand.
| 1736 Bailey, Errandeer, a scout at Oxford. 1803 G. Stephens Bugge's N. Mythol. 41 A shrub forgotten by the erranders. 1834 Disraeli Rev. Epick i. xxxi. 44 Swift Tomorrow [is] but a truant hind, That lags upon a graceless errandry. |