ambulatory

American  

[am-byuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈæm bjə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or capable of walking.

   an ambulatory exploration of the countryside.

2. adapted for walking, as the limbs of many animals.

3. moving about or from place to place; not stationary.

   an ambulatory tribe.

4. Medicine/Medical. Also

   1. not confined to bed; able or strong enough to walk.

      an ambulatory patient.

   2. serving patients who are able to walk.

      an ambulatory care center.

5. Law. not fixed; alterable or revocable.

   ambulatory will.

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noun

ambulatories plural

1. Also called deambulatory.  Architecture.

   1. an aisle surrounding the end of the choir or chancel of a church.

   2. the covered walk of a cloister.

ambulatory British  

/ ˈæmbjʊlətərɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for walking

2. changing position; not fixed

3. Also: ambulant.  able to walk

4. law (esp of a will) capable of being altered or revoked

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noun

1. architect

   1. an aisle running around the east end of a church, esp one that passes behind the sanctuary

   2. a place for walking, such as an aisle or a cloister

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonambulatory
  adjective
• ambulatorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ambulatories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ambulatory

1615–25; < Latin ambulātōrius, equivalent to ambulā-, stem of ambulāre ( see amble) + -tōrius -tory ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

An ambulatory surgery is the kind of procedure where the patient walks in and walks out. Ambulatory means able to walk, or related to walking. To remember ambulatory, think of ambulance, which essentially means a walking hospital. (Its meaning derives from the time when it was pulled by horses, which would be walking.) You can also think of the old fashioned word for baby carriage, perambulator (it's been shorted to "pram") which means a carriage you push by walking.

Example Sentences

Inside her office on the Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center campus, Paige Velasquez turned to the camera on her computer, greeted the familiar faces signing on, and guided a virtual group through a series of exercises.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2024

I asked Lindsay Gainer, a registered nurse, a vice president at Mass General Brigham Ambulatory Care, and a longtime instructor at the University of North Carolina School of Nursing.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2021

“If you have a hernia, and you’re in intense pain, eventually you will want that fixed,” said Prentice, with the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

From Washington Post • Apr. 24, 2020

Bill Prentice, chief executive of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, declined to speak about individual cases but said he has seen no data proving surgery centers are less safe than hospitals.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2018

Vault of the Ambulatory Passage on the west of the Dome in the South Church, looking north.

From Byzantine Churches in Constantinople Their History and Architecture by Van Millingen, Alexander