1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Random

RANDOM (older forms randon, randrun; from the French, cf. randir, to run quickly, impetuously; generally taken to be of Teutonic origin and connected with Ger. Rand, edge, brim, the idea being possibly of a brimming river), an adjective originally meaning impetuous, hasty, hence done without purpose or aim, haphazard. The term "random work" is used, in architecture, by the rag-stone masons, for stones fitted together at random without any attempt at laying them in courses. "Random coursed work" is a like term applied to work coursed in horizontal beds, but the stones are of varying height, and fitted to one another (see Masonry).