perambulate

American  

[per-am-byuh-leyt] / pərˈæm byəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

perambulated, perambulating

1. to walk through, about, or over; travel through; traverse.

2. to traverse in order to examine or inspect.

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verb (used without object)

perambulated, perambulating

1. to walk or travel about; stroll.

   Synonyms:

   ramble, meander, mosey, amble, promenade, saunter

perambulate British  

/ -trɪ, pəˈræmbjʊˌleɪt, pəˈræmbjʊlətərɪ /

verb

1. to walk about (a place)

2. (tr) to walk round in order to inspect

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Other Word Forms

• perambulation
  noun
• perambulatory
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of perambulate

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin perambulātus, past participle of perambulāre “to walk through”; see origin at per-, ambulate

Explanation

If you're fond of strolling around your neighborhood with no special destination, you like to perambulate. When you walk for the sake of taking a walk, you perambulate. It's an old-fashioned way to describe taking an after-dinner stroll or a meander through the zoo. The Latin word at the root of perambulate is ambulare, "to walk," and the more common word amble shares this origin. Another related word is perambulator, a mainly British term for a baby carriage or stroller, which is shortened to the more familiar pram.

Example Sentences

Perambulate, per-am′bū-lāt, v.t. to walk through or over: to pass through for the purpose of surveying: to survey the boundaries of.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various