itinerant

adjective

itin·​er·​ant ī-ˈti-nə-rənt How to pronounce itinerant (audio)
: traveling from place to place
especially : covering a circuit
itinerant preacher
itinerant noun
itinerantly adverb

Did you know?

In Latin, iter means "way" or "journey." That root was the parent of the Late Latin verb itinerari, meaning "to journey." It was that verb which ultimately gave rise to the English word for traveling types: itinerant. The linguistic grandparent, iter, also contributed to the development of other English words, including itinerary ("the route of a journey" and "the plan made for a journey") and errant ("traveling or given to traveling," as in knight-errant).

Examples of itinerant in a Sentence

an itinerant musician can see a lot of the world
Recent Examples on the Web But the wandering tone and itinerant plot used here don’t seem to suggest a lack of vision so as much as a genuine endeavor to capture how complicated some psychological challenges can be. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024 The findings don’t prove that all of these itinerant microbes are making people sick, nor that the next pandemic will descend from the sky, emphasizes Rodó. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2024 Finches and other itinerant birds that move around to find food sources are always looking for specific foods. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Sep. 2024 Compare him with Auriel, an itinerant street magician with a passion for wigs and a regrettable habit of not telling any of his lovers about the many, many others. Talya Zax, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for itinerant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'itinerant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin itinerant-, itinerans, present participle of itinerari to journey, from Latin itiner-, iter journey, way; akin to Hittite itar way, Latin ire to go — more at issue entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of itinerant was circa 1576

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Dictionary Entries Near itinerant

Cite this Entry

“Itinerant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itinerant. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

itinerant

adjective
itin·​er·​ant ī-ˈtin-ə-rənt How to pronounce itinerant (audio)
ə-ˈtin-
: traveling from place to place
an itinerant preacher

More from Merriam-Webster on itinerant

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