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Origin and history of vagary

vagary(n.)

1570s, "a wandering, a roaming journey;" 1580s, "a departure from regular or usual conduct or propriety," also "a wandering in speech or writing; from Italian vagare or directly from Latin vagari "to wander, stroll about, roam, be unsettled, spread abroad," from vagus "roving, wandering" (see vague).

The older senses are archaic or obsolete; the meaning "eccentric notion or conduct" (1620s) is from notion of mental wandering. Related: Vagaries; vagarious (19c.); vagarian "one given to vagaries, a crank" (1886).

The English word corresponds to a Latin *vagarius, *vagaria, but none is found. The infinitive appears to have been adopted in English as a noun and conformed to nouns in -ary, "but this can hardly be explained except as an orig. university use" [Century Dictionary].

also from 1570s

Entries linking to vagary

vague(adj.)

1540s, of statements, "uncertain as to specifics, without precise expression or determination," from French vague "empty, vacant; wild, uncultivated; wandering" (13c.), from Latin vagus "strolling, wandering, rambling," figuratively "vacillating, uncertain."

This is of uncertain origin; perhaps from PIE *Huog-o- and cognate with Old Norse vakka "to stray, hover," Old High German wankon "to totter, stagger," Old High German winkan "to waver, stagger, wink," Old English wincian "to nod" [de Vaan].

By 1704 in reference to ideas; by 1797 of feelings; by 1822 as "indistinctly seen or perceived." Related: Vagueness.

vagrant(n.)

mid-15c., vagraunt, "person who lacks regular employment, one without fixed abode, a tramp, a loafer," probably from Anglo-French vageraunt, also wacrant, walcrant, which is said in many sources to be a noun use of the past participle of Old French walcrer "to wander," from Frankish (Germanic) *walken, from the same source as Old Norse valka "wander" and English walk (v.).

Under this theory the word was influenced by Old French vagant, vagaunt "wandering," from Latin vagantem (nominative vagans), past participle of vagari "to wander, stroll about" (see vagary). But on another theory the Anglo-French word ultimately is from Old French vagant, with an intrusive, unetymological -r-. Middle English also had vagaunt "wandering, without fixed abode" (late 14c.), from Old French vagant.

There is nothing in vagant to lead to a variation vagrant; but the fact that there are no other E. words ending in -agant, and that there are several familiar words ending in -agrant, as fragrant, flagrant, with many words in -grant, may have caused the change. [Century Dictionary, 1891]
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    Trends of vagary

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    machine
    re-arranged and finally disposed of by preamble and resolution, is one of the latest, as it should have been the last, vagary...
    change
    c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
    alteration
    late 14c., alteracioun, "change, transformation, action of altering," from Old French alteracion "change, alteration" (14c.), and directly from Medieval Latin alterationem (nominative alteratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Late Latin alterare "to change," from La
    modification
    c. 1500, in philosophy, "determination by a mode or quality," from French modification (14c.) and directly from Latin modificationem (nominative modificatio) "a measuring," noun of action from past-participle stem of modificare (see modify). Sense of "a result of a variation or a
    apply
    late 14c., "join or combine (with); attach (to something), adhere," from Old French aploiier "apply, use, attach" (12c., Modern French appliquer), from Latin applicare "attach to, join, connect;" figuratively, "devote (oneself) to, give attention," from ad "to" (see ad-) + plicar
    scissors
    "pair of shears of medium or small size," late 14c., sisoures, also cisours, sesours, cisurs, etc., from Old French cisoires (plural) "shears," from Vulgar Latin *cisoria (plural) "cutting instrument," from *cisus (in compounds such as Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "
    rap
    early 14c., rappe, "a quick, light blow; a resounding stroke," also "a fart" (late 15c.), native or borrowed from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish rap, Swedish rapp "light blow"); either way probably of imitative origin (compare slap, clap). Slang meaning "a rebuke, the blam
    divine
    late 14c., "pertaining to, of the nature of, or proceeding from God or a god; addressed to God," from Old French divin, devin (12c.), from Latin divinus "of a god," from divus "of or belonging to a god, inspired, prophetic," related to deus "god, deity" (from PIE root *dyeu- "to
    deadline
    "time limit," 1920, American English newspaper jargon, from dead (adj.) + line (n.). Perhaps influenced by earlier use (1864) to mean the "do-not-cross" line in Civil War prisons, which figured in the trial of Henry Wirz, commander of the notorious Confederate prison at Andersonv
    constitution
    mid-14c., constitucioun, "law, regulation, edict; body of rules, customs, or laws," from Old French constitucion (12c.) "constitution, establishment," and directly from Latin constitutionem (nominative constitutio) "act of settling, settled condition, anything arranged or settled

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