- at random
- Random Ran"dom, a.
1. Going at random or by chance; done or made at hazard, or
without settled direction, aim, or purpose; hazarded
without previous calculation; left to chance; haphazard;
as, a random guess.
[1913 Webster]
Some random truths he can impart. --Wordsworth. [1913 Webster]
So sharp a spur to the lazy, and so strong a bridle to the random. --H. Spencer. [1913 Webster]
2. (Statistics) of, pertaining to, or resulting from a process of selection from a starting set of items, in which the probability of selecting any one object in the starting set is equal to the probability of selecting any other. [PJC]
3. (Construction) of unequal size or shape; made from components of unequal size or shape. [PJC]
{at random} in a manner so that all possible results have an equal probability of occurrence; for processes, each possible result is counted separately although the same type of result may occur more than once .
{Random courses} (Masonry), courses of stone of unequal thickness.
{Random shot}, a shot not directed or aimed toward any particular object, or a shot with the muzzle of the gun much elevated.
{Random work} (Masonry), stonework consisting of stones of unequal sizes fitted together, but not in courses nor always with flat beds. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
