peregrinate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to travel or wander about from place to place; voyage
-
(tr) to travel through (a place)
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of peregrinate
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin peregrīnātus, past participle of peregrīnārī “to travel abroad”; see peregrine, -ate 1
Explanation
People who peregrinate are constantly on the move, traveling from one location to another. You might peregrinate from Italy to Spain to France during your European backpacking trip. The most common way to peregrinate is on foot, wandering from place to place, as when you decide to peregrinate around your city's various neighborhoods pretending you're a tourist. The word is a bit old fashioned these days, and it was first used in the late 16th century, taken from the Latin peregrinatus, "traveled abroad," or figuratively "wandered or roamed," from peregrinus, "foreign."
Vocabulary lists containing peregrinate
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 2
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"I Like Words": A Job Seeker's Brilliant Chutzpah
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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.
Regardless of how they get there, they seem to peregrinate in a fog, for which they can hardly be blamed: In Brighton Beach, questions are deeply frowned upon, then ignored.
From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2018
Having those moments to pause and peregrinate keeps us nimble for the duration — and I can only imagine how salutary they are for the cast.
From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2017
The old showman and his literary coadjutor were already tackling their horses to the wagon, with a design to peregrinate southwest along the seacoast.
From The Seven Vagabonds (From "Twice Told Tales") by Hawthorne, Nathaniel
He is too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odd, As it were too peregrinate, as I may call it.
From The Prairie by Cooper, James Fenimore
The old showman and his literary coadjutor were already tackling their horses to the wagon with a design to peregrinate south-west along the sea-coast.
From Twice Told Tales by Hawthorne, Nathaniel
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.
