nomad

[noh-mad]

noun

1. a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.

2. any wanderer; itinerant.

adjective

1. nomadic.

nomad

/ ˈnəʊmæd /

noun

1. a member of a people or tribe who move from place to place to find pasture and food

2. a person who continually moves from place to place; wanderer

Other Word Forms

• nomadism noun
• nonnomad noun
• seminomad noun
• seminomadism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nomad¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin nomad-, from Greek, stem of nomás “roaming about for pasture,” akin to némein “to pasture, graze”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nomad¹

C16: via French from Latin nomas wandering shepherd, from Greek; related to nemein to feed, pasture

Example Sentences

As you may recall from school, hunter-gatherers followed the food; agriculture turned nomads into settlers, who turned wolves into dogs and sheep into wool.

From Los Angeles Times

A dramatic viral video featuring several star players would set the tone for the next nine months as the team, forced into a fellowship of nomads, searched for what it had lost: normalcy.

From Los Angeles Times

I went through a lot of difficult personal times and pushing midlife, I realized I’d been running like a cowboy, like a nomad.

From Los Angeles Times

Baldwin’s life as a transatlantic nomad begins in 1948, when he arrives in Paris after winning a scholarship to study there.

From Los Angeles Times

The other 60% are freelancers, many of whom are digital nomads, including those working for big ecommerce firms, and cyberspace writers.

From BBC

Related Words

• migrant 
• pilgrim 
• vagabond 
• wanderer