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itinerancy

American  
[ahy-tin-er-uhn-see, ih-tin-] / aɪˈtɪn ər ən si, ɪˈtɪn- /
Also itineracy

noun

  1. the act of traveling from place to place.

  2. a going around from place to place in the discharge of duty or the conducting of business.

  3. a body of itinerants, as ministers, judges, or sales representatives.

  4. the state of being itinerant.

  5. the system of rotation governing the ministry of the Methodist Church.


itinerancy British  
/ ɪˈtɪnərənsɪ, aɪ- /

noun

  1. the act of itinerating

  2. Methodist Church the system of appointing a minister to a circuit of churches or chapels

  3. itinerants collectively

"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

Etymology

Origin of itinerancy

First recorded in 1780–90; itiner(ant) + -ancy


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.

See Examples For:

Some of them had accompanied her throughout a lifetime of itinerancy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

“In other words, defendant has a history of itinerancy, firearms possession, and lack of candor with law enforcement, all exacerbating his risk of flight,” Lasher wrote.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2024

A particularly insightful grouping of paintings clarifies how the psychic state of Mitchell’s itinerancy manifested on canvas.

From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2021

This homebound summer has been particularly unsettling for classical musicians, whose typical schedule guarantees a few months of debauched itinerancy at festivals across the world.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 7, 2020

This is always the last definition the itinerancy writes upon the faces of its superannuates.

From A Circuit Rider's Wife by Corra Harris

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