 | WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
| WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
Desultory
Pronunciation : Des"ul*to*ry
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [L. desultorius, fr. desultor a leaper, fr. desilire, desultum, to leap down; de + salire to leap. See Saltation.]
Definition : 1. Leaping or skipping about. [Obs.] I shot at it [a bird], but it was so desultory that I missed my aim. Gilbert White.
2. Jumping, or passing, from one thing or subject to another, without order or rational connection; without logical sequence; disconnected; immethodical; aimless; as, desultory minds. Atterbury. He [Goldsmith] knew nothing accurately; his reading had been desultory. Macaulay.
3. Out of course; by the way; as a digression; not connected with the subject; as, a desultory remark.
Syn. -- Rambling; roving; immethodical; discursive; inconstant; unsettled; cursory; slight; hasty; loose.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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