Errada

Errada is a term found in Portuguese, where it functions as the feminine form of the adjective errado, meaning wrong, mistaken, or erroneous. It is used to describe feminine nouns and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (plural feminine: erradas; plural masculine: errados; masculine singular: errado).

Etymology and related forms: The adjective derives from the verb errar (to err, to miss), itself from Latin errare meaning to wander or err. The same root appears in related Romance languages and in English through forms such as errant and error.

Usage: Errada is commonly used in speech and writing to indicate incorrectness. Examples include uma ideia errada (a wrong idea), as peças erradas (the wrong pieces). It contrasts with the masculine form errado and with the noun erro (error), which names the concept of a mistake rather than describing attributes of a noun.

Grammatical notes: In Portuguese, errada is strictly adjectival and must agree with the feminine noun it modifies. It does not function as a past participle in standard usage; the past participle of errar is errado, not errada.

Other uses: Errada may appear as a proper noun in some contexts, including as a surname or place name, in which case it would be capitalized and treated as a specific name rather than the ordinary adjective.

See also: error.