itinerant
Americanadjective
-
traveling from place to place, especially on a circuit, as a minister, judge, or sales representative; itinerating; journeying.
- Antonyms:
- settled
-
characterized by such traveling.
itinerant preaching.
-
working in one place for a comparatively short time and then moving on to work in another place, usually as a physical or outdoor laborer; characterized by alternating periods of working and wandering.
an itinerant farm hand.
noun
-
a person who alternates between working and wandering.
-
a person who travels from place to place, especially for duty or business.
adjective
-
itinerating
-
working for a short time in various places, esp as a casual labourer
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of itinerant
1560–70; < Late Latin itinerant- (stem of itinerāns ), present participle of itinerārī to journey, equivalent to itiner- (stem of iter ) journey ( see iter) + -ant- -ant
Explanation
An itinerant is a person who moves from place to place, typically for work, like the itinerant preacher who moves to a new community every few years. Itinerant is pronounced "eye-TIN-er-ant." It might remind you of itinerary, the traveler's schedule that lists flights, hotel check-in times, and other plans. It's no surprise that both words come from the Latin word itinerare, meaning "to travel." Itinerant was first used in the 16th century to describe circuit judges who traveled to faraway courtrooms. Today, almost anyone can be an itinerant.
Vocabulary lists containing itinerant
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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"Once Upon a Time," Vocabulary from the short story
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Itinerant breeders may be more flexible in their response to environmental change because they are willing to breed in a wide variety of places," said Slezak.
From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2024
At 37, he was invited to preach by Billy Graham at the inaugural International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam in 1983.
From Fox News • May 19, 2020
Itinerant con men become caught in a real fairy tale after several maidens disappear in an enchanted forest.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2019
Itinerant street photographers no longer offer portraits for pennies, wedding shoots are in steep decline, and postcard photographers are few and far between.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2019
The Itinerant Justices Revived.—To carry out this system Henry renewed his grandfather's experiment of sending members of the Curia Regis as itinerant justices visiting the counties.
From A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3) From the earliest times to the Death of King Edward VII by Gardiner, Samuel Rawson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
