ARRANT

Proper noun

Arrant (plural Arrants)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Arrant is the 23662^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1071 individuals. Arrant is most common among White (80.86%) individuals.

Etymology

Adjective

arrant (comparative arranter, superlative arrantest)

Utter; complete (with a negative sense).

Obsolete form of errant.

Usage notes

Particularly used in the phrase “arrant knaves”, quoting Hamlet, and “arrant nonsense”.

Some dictionaries consider arrant simply an alternative form of errant, but in usage they have long since split.

The word has long been considered archaic, may be confused with errant, and is used primarily in clichés, on which basis some recommend against using it.

Source: Wiktionary

Ar"rant, a. Etym: [OE. erraunt, errant, errand, equiv. to E. errant wandering, which was first applied to vagabonds, as an errant rogue, an errant thief, and hence passed gradually into its present and worse sense. See Errant.]

Definition: Notoriously or preëminently bad; thorough or downright, in a bad sense; shameless; unmitigated; as, an arrant rogue or coward. I discover an arrant laziness in my soul. Fuller.

2. Thorough or downright, in a good sense. [Obs.] An arrant honest woman. Burton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition