nomad

[noh-mad]

noun

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.

any wanderer; itinerant.

adjective

nomadic.

Origin of nomad

1580–90; < Latin nomad- < Greek, stem of nomás pasturing flocks, akin to némein to pasture, graze

Related formsno·mad·ism, nounnon·no·mad, noun, adjectivesem·i·no·mad, nounsem·i·no·mad·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for semi-nomad

Historical Examples of semi-nomad

In their semi-nomad life the women ride about with the men, and thus become skilled riders.
The Indians of the Painted Desert Region
George Wharton James

British Dictionary definitions for semi-nomad

nomad

noun

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

a person who continually moves from place to place; wanderer

Derived Formsnomadism, noun

Word Origin for nomad

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

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 semi-nomad

nomad

1550s, from Middle French nomade (16c.), from Latin Nomas (genitive Nomadis) "wandering groups in Arabia," from Greek nomas (genitive nomados, plural nomades) "roaming, roving, wandering" (to find pastures for flocks or herds), related to nomos "pasture, pasturage, grazing," literally "land allotted," and to nemein "put to pasture," originally "deal out," from PIE root *nem- "to divide, distribute, allot" (see nemesis).