An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. General: Made or occurring without a definite pattern, plan, or system; haphazard arrangement as if due to pure chance.
   

2. Statistics: Of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a population has an equal probability of being chosen.
   

See also:
→ random access memory, → random error, → random experiments, → random noise, → random sample, → random structure, → random thermal motion, → random variable , → independent random variables, → random walk, → randomization, → randomize, → randomness.

Etymology (EN): M.E. raundon, random “impetuosity, speed,” from O.Fr. randon “rush, disorder, impetuosity,” from randir “to run fast.”

Etymology (PE): Kâturé originally “dazzled, confused,” variants katré “disorderly, ragged, tattered, babble, meaningless or incoherent speech,” katreyi “disorderly, at random;” maybe from kat- “to fall;” → case.