erraticus

Latin adjective

Last edited: 2024-10-17
Primary meaning mutable
Literal translation erratic
Variants
erraticus
Edited by
mutable astrological concept, zodiac sign quality

also double-bodied signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces

Si enim hunc locum tenuerit in tropicis signis constituta vel squamosis vel [aut] erraticis, et cum ea Mars fuerit aut se illi per diametrum aut de quadrato forti radiatione coniunxerit, facit inpuros libidinosos infames.

‘If she is in tropical, scaly, or mutable signs, and Mars is with her or in opposition or square aspect, the natives are oversexed, impure, and of ill repute.’

— Firmicus Maternus, Mathesis 3.6.14

Genre: astrological compendium
Provenance: Sicily
Date: ca. 334 CE

Firmicus Maternus. 1897. Ivlii Firmici Materni Matheseos Libri VIII, ed. W. Kroll, F. Skutsch. Stuttgart: B. G. Teubner. 1.147

wandering astronomical phenomenon

In horum signorum lateribus aliae adhaerent stellae, sed quae numquam erratico cursu assignata sibimet deserant loca, sed tradita sibi spatia possidentes, currente mundo inmutabili semper agitatione volvuntur.

‘To the sides of these signs cling other stars. But they never desert their own path in an erratic course but hold space assigned to them and turn always with the immutable revolution of the universe.’

— Firmicus Maternus, Mathesis 8.6.2

Genre: astrological compendium
Provenance: Sicily
Date: ca. 334 CE

Firmicus Maternus. 1897. Ivlii Firmici Materni Matheseos Libri VIII, ed. W. Kroll, F. Skutsch. Stuttgart: B. G. Teubner. 2.294-295

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Meinhardt, K. (2024). erraticus (Lemma #1073). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Meinhardt, K. (2024). erraticus (Lemma #1073). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/
MLA (9th)
Meinhardt, K. (2024). erraticus (Lemma #1073). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/
Harvard
Meinhardt, K. (2024) erraticus (Lemma #1073), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac1073,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Meinhardt, Kierán},
	year = {2024},
	title = {erraticus ({Lemma} #1073)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1073/},
}