# random

Pronunciation: say "RAN-duhm" /ˈɹændəm/

## Adjective

1. Happening, done, chosen, or arranged without a definite plan, method, or pattern.
   - Simple: Happening or chosen by chance, or put together without a plan or clear order.
   - _She opened the book to a random page and started reading._
   - _The guard searched a few random bags at the entrance._
2. Having an outcome that cannot be predicted in advance but is governed by definite probabilities (a probability distribution), whether produced by a true chance process or imitated by a computer program (pseudorandom).
   - Simple: Decided by chance in a way that follows fixed odds, like dice rolls or numbers a computer makes to look unpredictable.
   - _Each spin of the wheel produces a random outcome governed by fixed probabilities._
   - _Researchers assigned patients to groups using a random process._
3. Coming out of nowhere and unconnected to the situation or to what was being discussed; (of a person) given to making such unexpected, disconnected remarks. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Suddenly unrelated to what is happening or being talked about. Also used of a person who often says such things.
   - _The meeting was derailed by a random question that had nothing to do with the agenda._
   - _My brother sent me a random text at 2 a.m. asking about his old skateboard._
6. Out of the ordinary; strikingly odd, unusual, or unexpected. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: Strange, odd, or not what you would expect.
   - _The pub had put on a random talent night with a man juggling kettles._
   - _It was a totally random thing to wear to a wedding._

## Noun

4. An unknown, unimportant person; someone of no particular significance to the situation. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Someone you do not know or who does not matter here.
   - _The party was full of randoms nobody had actually invited._
   - _Don't just hand your phone to some random on the street._
5. A course or motion without definite direction; a lack of rule or method; chance.
   - Simple: Movement or choice with no plan: left to chance.
   - _The guests were seated at random, with no plan to the arrangement._
   - _He flipped through the book at random, landing on whatever page came up._

## Verb

7. To move about without a fixed course or aim, wandering or straying from any set path. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To walk or move around with no set path or goal.

## Noun

8. Full speed; impetuous force or violent momentum. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Great speed or force: a headlong rush.
9. The full range of a projectile; also the angle to which a gun is raised to achieve its greatest range. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: How far a shot can reach, or the upward tilt of a gun for the longest reach.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A frame used in hand typesetting to hold and arrange pieces of metal type.
- (noun) In mining, the direction or line along which a rake-vein runs.

## Origin

It comes from earlier "randon," via Middle English and Old French "randon," from "randir" ("to run, gallop"). This traces back through Frankish or Old Norse words for "a run, race" to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "run" and ultimately a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow, move, run."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/random (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).