nomad

noun

no·​mad ˈnō-ˌmad How to pronounce nomad (audio)
1
: a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory
For centuries nomads have shepherded goats, sheep, and cattle across the … semiarid grasslands …Discovery
2
: an individual who roams about
He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.
nomad adjective
nomadism noun

Examples of nomad in a Sentence

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long. after college she became quite the nomad, backpacking through Europe with no particular destination
Recent Examples on the Web This piece was also likely brought to Poland by nomads, officials said, but from the Black Sea region south of Europe. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 June 2024 In many cases, the returnees found that Arab nomads had settled on their ancestral homelands. Jérôme Tubiana, Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2021 Another sign of the trend’s staying power is the growing number of countries openly competing to attract higher-earning nomads and remote workers. Jd Shadel, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 May 2023 The earth along the dirt road was blackened, burned not by Janjaweed but by Masalit farmers hoping to keep Arab nomads away. Jérôme Tubiana, Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2021 See all Example Sentences for nomad 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nomad.' 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

borrowed from Latin Nomades (singular Nomas), name given to various pastoral peoples, as in northern Africa or Scythia, borrowed from Greek nomádes "pastoral people who move from place to place seasonally," plural of nomad-, nomás "wanderer, shepherd," as adjective, "wandering, roaming," from nomḗ "pasturing of animals, pasture, herd" or nomós "pasture, feeding ground" (both o-ablaut derivatives of némein "to graze, pasture [animals]) + -ad-, -as, noun and adjective suffix denoting descent from or connection with — more at nimble

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nomad was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near nomad

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

nomad

noun
no·​mad ˈnō-ˌmad How to pronounce nomad (audio)
1
: a member of a people that has no fixed home but wanders from place to place
2
: an individual who roams about without a goal or purpose
nomad adjective
or nomadic
nō-ˈmad-ik
nomadism noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nomad

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