nomad

[ noh-mad ]
/ ˈnoʊ mæd /

noun

a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.
any wanderer; itinerant.

adjective

Origin of nomad

1580–90; < Latin nomad- < Greek, stem of nomás pasturing flocks, akin to némein to pasture, graze

OTHER WORDS FROM nomad

no·mad·ism, noun non·no·mad, noun, adjective sem·i·no·mad, noun sem·i·no·mad·ism, noun

Example sentences from the Web for nomadism

British Dictionary definitions for nomadism

nomad
/ (ˈnəʊmæd) /

noun

a member of a people or tribe who move from place to place to find pasture and food
a person who continually moves from place to place; wanderer

Derived forms of nomad

nomadism, noun

Word Origin for nomad

C16: via French from Latin nomas wandering shepherd, from Greek; related to nemein to feed, pasture

Cultural definitions for nomadism

nomadism
[ (noh-mad-iz-uhm) ]

A way of life in which a community has no permanent settlement but moves from place to place, usually seasonally and within a defined territory. For hunting and gathering societies, nomadism does not imply aimless wandering, but suggests an organized rotation of settlements to ensure maximum use of available natural resources.