erratum n : a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind [syn: misprint, typographical error, typo, literal error, literal] [also: errata (pl)]

English

Noun

1. An error, especially one in a printed work.

Translations

• German: Erratum (1)

Erratum or corrigendum (plurals: errata, corrigenda) is a correction of a book. Errata are most commonly issued shortly after the original text was published. Patches to security issues in a computer program are also sometimes called errata. As a general rule, publishers issue an erratum for a production error (i.e. an error introduced during the publishing process) and a corrigendum for an author's error.

Errata sheets

An errata sheet is a common method of post-production editing in which the errors left in the produced copy are outlined on a sheet of paper bound into the book. This is a common method by which large works are "edited"; i.e. if the volume would cost too much and/or be too cumbersome to correct internally, this is an acceptable method by which one might edit the work.

It should be noted that errata sheets should only outline minor errors within a work (e.g. misspellings, improper punctuation and the like). If a major error in the construction of a sentence occurs, or if the construction is such that the sentence is ambiguous or confusing, this must be corrected within the work.

Meanings in a non-editorial context

• Design errors and mistakes in a CPU's hardwired microcode may also be referred to as an erratum. One well publicised example is Intel's "flag" erratum in early Pentium processors, known as the Pentium_FDIV_bug. This made the conversion of floating point numbers to integers unreliable due to an exception not being signaled under certain conditions.

See also

• Bible errata

External links

• - A WikiBooks project collecting errata from printed works and organizing them by ISBN or PMID.
• href="http://support.intel.com/support/processors/flag/">http://support.intel.com/support/processors/flag/ Pentium Pro Flag Erratum

clerical error, corrigendum, error, failure, fault, faute, human error, misapprehension, miscalculation, miscarriage, misconception, miscount, misdeal, misidentification, misjudgment, misplay, misprint, misquotation, misreport, miss, misstatement, mistake, misunderstanding, misuse, typo, typographical error