Desultory Definition
dĕsəl-tôrē, dĕz-
adjective
Passing from one thing to another in an aimless way; disconnected; not methodical.
A desultory conversation.
Webster's New World
Occurring randomly or sporadically.
American Heritage
Lacking direct relevance; random; incidental.
A desultory observation.
Webster's New World
Out of course; by the way; as a digression; not connected with the subject.
I made a desultory remark while I was talking to my friend.
She made a desultory attempt at conversation.
Wiktionary
Disappointing in performance or progress.
Wiktionary
Origin of Desultory
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Latin dēsultōrius leaping from dēsultor a leaper from dēsultus past participle of dēsilīre to leap down dē- de- salīre to jump sel- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Latin desultorius (“hasty, casual, superficial”), from desultor (“a circus rider who jumped from one galloping horse to another”), from dēsiliō (“jump down”), from dē (“down”) + saliō (“jump, leap”)
From Wiktionary
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