ambulatory

[am-byuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

See more synonyms for ambulatory on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or capable of walking: an ambulatory exploration of the countryside.
adapted for walking, as the limbs of many animals.
moving about or from place to place; not stationary: an ambulatory tribe.

Also ambulant. Medicine/Medical.
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.
Law. not fixed; alterable or revocable: ambulatory will.

noun, plural am·bu·la·to·ries.

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.

Origin of ambulatory

1615–25; < Latin ambulātōrius, equivalent to ambulā-, stem of ambulāre (see amble) + -tōrius -tory¹

Related formsam·bu·la·to·ri·ly, adverbnon·am·bu·la·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·am·bu·la·to·ries.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ambulatory

Contemporary Examples

The firefighters did not want the ambulatory passengers to chance onto an electrified rail or encounter some other hazard.
Amazing Grace in the Bronx: Inside the Metro-North Train-Wreck Rescue
Michael Daly
December 2, 2013
Piscitelli found out just how bad it had been when he counted the number of ambulatory survivors who came back with the dawn.
On Memorial Day, Remembering 15-Year-Old Marine PFC Dan Bullock
Michael Daly
May 28, 2012
If it's dead, it's undead, like the culture at large: ambulatory in the age of Twilight.
Must-Read Books by Will Hermes, Lydia Millet, and Stuart Nadler
Nicholas Mancusi, Drew Toal, John Reed
November 28, 2011

Historical Examples

He had met her by chance in the ambulatory on her way from Brother Bonaday's rooms.
Brother Copas
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The poet is greater than man: he is nature on two legs,—ambulatory.
How Spring Came in New England
Charles Dudley Warner
It consists of a choir and ambulatory, transepts, and three bays of a nave.
The Story of Brussels
Ernest Gilliat-Smith
There is a central apse, an ambulatory, out of which radiate five chapels.
The Cathedrals of Great Britain
P. H. Ditchfield
He is said to have introduced into Normandy the ambulatory and its radiating chapels.
How France Built Her Cathedrals
Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for ambulatory

ambulatory

adjective

of, relating to, or designed for walking
changing position; not fixed
Also: ambulant able to walk
law (esp of a will) capable of being altered or revoked

noun plural -ries

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ambulatory

adj.

"pertaining to walking;" also "shifting, not permanent," 1620s, from Latin ambulatorius "of or pertaining to a walker; movable," from ambulator, agent noun from past participle stem of ambulare "to walk" (see amble). Middle English had ambulary "movable" (mid-15c.).

n.

from Medieval Latin ambulatorium, from Latin ambulatorius "movable," from ambulare (see amble).

ambulatory in Medicine

ambulatory

(ăm′byə-lə-tôr′ē)

adj.

Of, relating to, or adapted for walking.
Capable of walking; not bedridden.
Moving about.
Of or relating to medical care or services provided on an outpatient basis.

ambulatory

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Examples from the Web for ambulatory

Contemporary Examples

The firefighters did not want the ambulatory passengers to chance onto an electrified rail or encounter some other hazard.

Piscitelli found out just how bad it had been when he counted the number of ambulatory survivors who came back with the dawn.

If it's dead, it's undead, like the culture at large: ambulatory in the age of Twilight.

Historical Examples

He had met her by chance in the ambulatory on her way from Brother Bonaday's rooms.

The poet is greater than man: he is nature on two legs,—ambulatory.

It consists of a choir and ambulatory, transepts, and three bays of a nave.

There is a central apse, an ambulatory, out of which radiate five chapels.

He is said to have introduced into Normandy the ambulatory and its radiating chapels.

ambulatory

Word Origin and History for ambulatory

adj.

n.

ambulatory

Origin of ambulatory