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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Candela turned the back of the building into 60 smaller rentals with their own entrance at 3 East 77th Street, and a restaurant would have been an obvious appeal for itinerant renters who didn’t want to hire a staff. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 12 Aug. 2025 As other bucket-list destination properties face waitlists of a year or more amid record levels of U.S. golf travel, the opening of Scarecrow has further grabbed the attention of itinerant golfers eager to experience a pure golf getaway in a uniquely picturesque region of the Pacific Northwest. Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025 One example is the popular itinerant preacher known as the Public Universal Friend. Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025 Howe was a tinker, a mess-maker, an itinerant spirit. Nick Ripatrazone july 10, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for itinerant

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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Cite this Entry

“Itinerant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itinerant. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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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