Nearby words
vagotomy, vagotonia, vagotropic, vagovagal, vagrancy, vagrant, vagrant's disease, vagrom, vague, vagus, vagus nerve
Origin of vagrant
1400–50; late Middle English vagaraunt, apparently present participle of Anglo-French *vagrer, perhaps < Middle English *vagren, blend of vagen (< Latin vagārī to wander) and *walcren (> Old French wa(u)crer), equivalent to walc- (see walk) + -r- frequentative suffix + -en infinitive suffix
SYNONYMS FOR vagrant
1 Vagrant, vagabond describe an idle, disreputable person who lacks a fixed abode. Vagrant suggests a tramp, a person with no settled abode or livelihood, an idle and disorderly person: picked up by police as a vagrant. Vagabond especially emphasizes the idea of worthless living, often by trickery, thieving, or other disreputable means: Actors were once classed with rogues and vagabonds.
Related forms
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for vagrant
British Dictionary definitions for vagrant
vagrant
/ (ˈveɪɡrənt) /
noun
a person of no settled abode, income, or job; tramp
a migratory animal that is off course
adjective
wandering about; nomadic
of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant or vagabond
moving in an erratic fashion, without aim or purpose; wayward
(of plants) showing uncontrolled or straggling growth
Archaic equivalent: vagrom (ˈveɪɡrəm)
Derived Forms
vagrantly, adverbvagrantness, nounWord Origin for vagrant
C15: probably from Old French waucrant (from wancrer to roam, of Germanic origin), but also influenced by Old French vagant vagabond, from Latin vagārī to wander
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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