wayfarer

[wey-fair-er]

See more synonyms for wayfarer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a traveler, especially on foot.

Origin of wayfarer

First recorded in 1400–50, wayfarer is from the late Middle English word weyfarere. See way¹, fare, -er¹

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

Related Words for wayfarer

drifter, gypsy, vagabond, rover, wanderer, itinerant, vagrant, gadabout, explorer, peddler, nomad, bum, hobo, pilgrim, adventurer, walker, excursionist, roamer, rambler, hiker

Examples from the Web for wayfarer

Contemporary Examples of wayfarer

Oh how often have knowledge and keen wits and understandings/ Been as deadly as brigands or ghouls to the wayfarer.
Imperial Locavores
Ian Klaus
August 29, 2011

Historical Examples of wayfarer

Kirkwood conceived a wholly senseless curiosity about the other wayfarer.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
The wayfarer, Perceiving the pathway to truth, Was struck with astonishment.
War is Kind
Stephen Crane
Now don't you wish; Madam, you had had compassion on the wayfarer?
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 83, September, 1864
Various
At last, to our wayfarer's unspeakable joy, deliverance came.
The Sign of the Spider
Bertram Mitford
But its coming and going wrought a curious effect upon that wayfarer.
The Grain Ship
Morgan Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for wayfarer

wayfarer

noun

a person who goes on a journey

Derived Formswayfaring, noun, adjective

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 wayfarer

mid-15c., agent noun from way + fare (v.). Earlier was wayferer (late 14c.). The brand of sunglasses (manufactured by Ray-Ban) dates to 1952.