To deviate or wander from the correct path, course, or standard; to go astray.
From Latin 'aberrare,' from 'ab-' (away, from) + 'errare' (to wander, to err). The verb has been in use since Middle English, describing both physical and moral deviation.
The Latin root 'errare' gave us both 'aberr' and 'error'—recognizing these shared roots helps you see how 'aberration' literally means 'wandering away,' which is exactly what goes wrong when anything deviates from its intended path.
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