vagary

The story

1. Latin · derived fromvagus“wandering”
2. Latin · borrowed fromvagārī“to wander”
3. Italian · borrowed fromvagare“wander”
4. English todayvagary

From Italian vagare (“wander”) and/or its source Latin vagārī (“to wander”), from Latin vagus (“wandering”). Later apparently reinterpreted in English as vague + -ery but without changing the spelling. By surface analysis, Latin vag(us) + -ary.

Words from the same roots