random
     adj 1: lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by
            or depending on chance; "a random choice"; "bombs fell
            at random"; "random movements" [ant: nonrandom]
     2: taken haphazardly; "a random choice"

Random \Ran"dom\, a.
   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.

         Some random truths he can impart.        --Wordsworth.

         So sharp a spur to the lazy, and so strong a bridle to
         the random.                              --H. Spencer.

   Random courses (Masonry), courses 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.

Random \Ran"dom\, n. [OE. randon, OF. randon force, violence,
   rapidity, a randon, de randon, violently, suddenly, rapidly,
   prob. of German origin; cf. G. rand edge, border, OHG. rant
   shield, edge of a shield, akin to E. rand, n. See Rand, n.]
   1. Force; violence. [Obs.]

            For courageously the two kings newly fought with
            great random and force.               --E. Hall.

   2. A roving motion; course without definite direction; want
      of direction, rule, or method; hazard; chance; -- commonly
      used in the phrase at random, that is, without a settled
      point of direction; at hazard.

            Counsels, when they fly At random, sometimes hit
            most happily.                         --Herrick.

            O, many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the
            archer little meant !                 --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.

   3. Distance to which a missile is cast; range; reach; as, the
      random of a rifle ball. --Sir K. Digby.

   4. (Mining) The direction of a rake-vein. --Raymond.

random

        1. Unpredictable (closest to mathematical definition); weird.
        "The system's been behaving pretty randomly."

        2. Assorted; undistinguished.  "Who was at the conference?"
        "Just a bunch of random business types."

        3. (pejorative) Frivolous; unproductive; undirected.  "He's
        just a random loser."

        4. Incoherent or inelegant; poorly chosen; not well organised.
        "The program has a random set of misfeatures."  "That's a
        random name for that function."  "Well, all the names were
        chosen pretty randomly."

        5. In no particular order, though deterministic.  "The I/O
        channels are in a pool, and when a file is opened one is
        chosen randomly."

        6. Arbitrary.  "It generates a random name for the scratch
        file."

        7. Gratuitously wrong, i.e. poorly done and for no good
        apparent reason.  For example, a program that handles file
        name defaulting in a particularly useless way, or an assembler
        routine that could easily have been coded using only three
        registers, but redundantly uses seven for values with
        non-overlapping lifetimes, so that no one else can invoke it
        without first saving four extra registers.  What randomness!

        8.  A random hacker; used particularly of high-school students
        who soak up computer time and generally get in the way.

        9.  Anyone who is not a hacker (or, sometimes, anyone not
        known to the hacker speaking).  "I went to the talk, but the
        audience was full of randoms asking bogus questions".

        10.  (occasional MIT usage) One who lives at Random Hall.  See
        also J. Random, some random X.

        [Jargon File]

        (1995-12-05)

random adj. 1. Unpredictable (closest to mathematical definition);
   weird. "The system's been behaving pretty randomly." 2. Assorted;
   undistinguished. "Who was at the conference?" "Just a bunch of random
   business types." 3. (pejorative) Frivolous; unproductive; undirected.
   "He's just a random loser." 4. Incoherent or inelegant; poorly chosen;
   not well organized. "The program has a random set of misfeatures."
   "That's a random name for that function." "Well, all the names were
   chosen pretty randomly." 5. In no particular order, though
   deterministic. "The I/O channels are in a pool, and when a file is
   opened one is chosen randomly." 6. Arbitrary. "It generates a random
   name for the scratch file." 7. Gratuitously wrong, i.e., poorly done and
   for no good apparent reason. For example, a program that handles file
   name defaulting in a particularly useless way, or an assembler routine
   that could easily have been coded using only three registers, but
   redundantly uses seven for values with non-overlapping lifetimes, so
   that no one else can invoke it without first saving four extra
   registers. What randomness! 8. n. A random hacker; used particularly
   of high-school students who soak up computer time and generally get in
   the way. 9. n. Anyone who is not a hacker (or, sometimes, anyone not
   known to the hacker speaking); the noun form of sense 2. "I went to the
   talk, but the audience was full of randoms asking bogus questions". 10.
   n. (occasional MIT usage) One who lives at Random Hall. See also J.
   Random, some random X. 11. [UK] Conversationally, a non sequitur or
   something similarly out-of-the-blue. As in: "Stop being so random!" This
   sense equates to `hatstand', taken from the Viz comic character "Roger
   Irrelevant - He's completely Hatstand."