What’s the plural of “erratum”?
Erratum are a “list of mistakes in a published work”. The plural of erratum is errata. Erratas, which developed as the English plural noun form, is rarely used and considered incorrect according to some sources.
What does the word erratum mean?
The word erratum is defined in the dictionary as, “a list of errors or corrections to be made (in a book)”.
Erratum derives from Latin, and uses the standard Latin suffixes of um as a singular noun and a as a plural. Like the other nouns from Latin in the chart below (e.g., memorandum/memoranda, addendum/addenda) erratum/errata shares the same pattern from singular to plural.
Latin nouns in English
| singular | plural |
| erratum | errata or erratums |
| referendum | referenda or referendums |
| memorandum | memoranda or memorandums |
| curriculum | curricula or curriculums |
| addendum | addenda or addendums |
| symposium | symposia or symposiums |
Examples of erratum used in context
1. If there is an error or omission in a report, an erratum is issued.
2. Genuine errors will usually be acknowledged in a subsequent erratum.
3. A small erratum slip in the book itself explains that it was a mistake.
4. As a consequence, later versions of the book came out with an erratum slip longer than the entire introduction.
5. He was not able to produce an erratum or oversee a corrected edition.
Examples of errata used in context
1. While they were at it, all the errata and questions were evaluated, and many sections of the rules were re-written in an effort to make the game clearer.
2. Pain, which he recognized as one of the great errata of his life.
3. The list of errata inserted at the beginning which contains only two corrections is far from adequate.
4. The last errata came just in time to be inserted.
5. Some have the Errata notice but have no printing on the inside front cover.
Synonyms of erratum
- error
- typo
- mistake
- blemish
Origin of the word erratum
From etymonline on erratum:
An error in writing or printing,” 1580s, from Latin erratum (plural errata), neuter past participle of errare “to wander; to err’.
What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
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