Meaning and Origin
What does the name Random mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
User Submitted Meanings
- A user from Sweden says the name Random is of Swedish origin and means "God".
- Force; violence.(Obs)"For courageously the two kings newly fought with great random and force." [E. Hall.]
- A roving motion; course without definite direction; want of direction, rule, or method; hazard; chance; -- commonly used in the phrase at random, that is, without a settled point of direction; at hazard."Counsels, when they fly At random, sometimes hit most happily." [Herrick.]"O, many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the archer little meant!" [Sir W. Scott.]
- Distance to which a missile is cast; range; reach; as, the random of a rifle ball.
- [Mining] The direction of a rake-vein.
Etymology: OE. randon, OF. randon force, violence, rapidity, à randon, de randon, violently, suddenly, rapidly, prob. of German origin; cf. G. rand edge, border, OHG. rant shield, edge of a shield, akin to E. rand, n. See Rand (n.)
- Going at random or by chance; done or made at hazard, or without settled direction, aim, or purpose; hazarded without previous calculation; left to chance; haphazard; as, a random guess."Some random truths he can impart." [Wordsworth.]"So sharp a spur to the lazy, and so strong a bridle to the random." [H. Spencer.]
- [Statistics] of, pertaining to, or resulting from a process of selection from a starting set of items, in which the probability of selecting any one object in the starting set is equal to the probability of selecting any other.
- [Construction] of unequal size or shape; made from components of unequal size or shape.
- Lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance ("a random choice", "bombs fell at random", and "random movements")
From earlier randon, from Middle English randoun, raundon, from Old French randon, from randir (“to run, gallop”) (whence French randonnée (“long walk, hike”)), from Frankish *rant, *rand (“run”, noun), from Proto-Germanic *randijō, from *rinnaną (“run”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *(H)r̥-nw- (“to flow, move, run”). See run.
- A roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance.
- (obsolete) Speed, full speed; impetuosity, force. [14th-17thc.]
- (obsolete) The full range of a bullet or other projectile; hence, the angle at which a weapon is tilted to allow the greatest range. [16th-19thc.]
- (figuratively, colloquial) An undefined, unknown or unimportant person; a person of no consequence. [from 20thc.]
- The party was boring. It was full of .
- (mining) The direction of a rake-vein.
random was also found in the following language(s): Hungarian