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itinerant

adjective
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itin·​er·​ant | \ ī-ˈti-nə-rənt How to pronounce itinerant (audio) \

Definition of itinerant

: traveling from place to place especially : covering a circuit itinerant preacher
Other Words from itinerant Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about itinerant

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Other Words from itinerant

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 today's English word for traveling types: "itinerant." The linguistic grandsire, "iter," also contributed to the development of other words in our vocabulary, including "itinerary" ("the route of a journey" and "the plan made for a journey") and "errant" ("traveling or given to traveling").

Examples of itinerant in a Sentence

an itinerant musician can see a lot of the world
Recent Examples on the Web He, in turn, roped in Claude Vealey and Buddy Martin, two other itinerant criminals. — Vince Guerreri, Smithsonian Magazine, "Fifty Years Ago, the Murder of Jock Yablonski Shocked the Labor Movement," 31 Dec. 2019 Yet another formerly itinerant player who multiple people believe is on a fast track to a No. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "MLB's most important moves off the field: 14 hires reshaping the league's brainpower balance," 12 Dec. 2019 Rozman was living a largely itinerant life at the time, and the resulting wine felt almost like a liability. — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, "How Natural Wine Became a Symbol of Virtuous Consumption," 18 Nov. 2019 American folk art — paintings by itinerant artists, old signs, weather vanes, ship figureheads — was new to the art market. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "Edith Halpert and American Modernism," 14 Dec. 2019 This was all that connected Dailey, a 38-year-old itinerant Vietnam veteran, to the crime: the word of its prime suspect. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, "He’s a Liar, a Con Artist and a Snitch. His Testimony Could Soon Send a Man to His Death.," 4 Dec. 2019 The few guests who’d stayed the night before had left, including an itinerant logger who’s a semi-regular, some road workers filling potholes on the highway and a downstate couple who’d emerged from the woods after a week of camping. — John Carlisle, Freep.com, "Her husband's sudden death left her to run struggling U.P. motel — and she can't walk away," 28 Nov. 2019 Back in 2005, when hotelier Christina Ong opened her flagship wellness property, COMO Shambhala, the Balinese village of Ubud was attracting a scrappy mess of itinerant backpackers who had wandered inland to the paddy fields. — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, "At Bali's COMO Shambhala, Skip the Wellness Fads in Favor of a True Reboot," 16 Nov. 2019 Were there any stories of itinerant preachers that inspired the story? — David Wallace, The New Yorker, "Tiphanie Yanique on the Necessity of the Spirit," 28 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'itinerant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of itinerant

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for itinerant

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

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Learn More about itinerant

Time Traveler for itinerant

Time Traveler

The first known use of itinerant was circa 1576

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Itinerant.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itinerant. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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More Definitions for itinerant

itinerant

adjective
How to pronounce itinerant (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of itinerant

: traveling from place to place : staying in a place for only a short amount of time

See the full definition for itinerant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

itinerant

adjective
itin·​er·​ant | \ ī-ˈti-nə-rənt How to pronounce itinerant (audio) \

Kids Definition of itinerant

: traveling from place to place

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More from Merriam-Webster on itinerant

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for itinerant

Spanish Central: Translation of itinerant

Nglish: Translation of itinerant for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of itinerant for Arabic Speakers

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