vagrancy

va·gran·cy

noun \ˈvā-grən(t)-sē\

plural va·gran·cies

Definition of VAGRANCY

1

:  vagary

2

:  the state or action of being vagrant

3

:  the offense of being a vagrant

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Examples of VAGRANCY

1. <a frequent victim to the vagrancies of the heart, she had a succession of passionate but short-lived romances>

First Known Use of VAGRANCY

1641

Related to VAGRANCY

Synonyms

bee, caprice, crank, fancy, freak, humor, kink, maggot, megrim, notion, vagary, whim, whimsy (also whimsey)

Related Words

capriciousness, fancifulness, fantasy (also phantasy), freakishness, impetuosity, whimsicality; conceit; concept, conception, image, impression, mind's eye, picture, thought; brainstorm, inspiration

vagrancy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Act of wandering about without employment or identifiable means of support. Traditionally a vagrant was thought to be one who was able to work for his maintenance but preferred instead to live idly, often as a beggar. Punishment ranged from branding and whipping to conscription into the military services and transportation to penal colonies. In the U.S., laws against vagrancy were used by police and prosecutors to proscribe a wide range of behaviours. Many such laws were struck down as unconstitutionally vague, thus largely decriminalizing vagrancy, though in the 1990s many local laws were implemented to curtail aggressive panhandling, begging, and other activities by vagrants on city streets.