vagrant

[ vey-gruh nt ]
/ ˈveɪ grənt /

noun

adjective

Origin of vagrant

1400–50; late Middle English vagaraunt, apparently present participle of Anglo-French *vagrer, perhaps < Middle English *vagren, blend of vagen (< Latin vagārī to wander) and *walcren (> Old French wa(u)crer), equivalent to walc- (see walk) + -r- frequentative suffix + -en infinitive suffix

SYNONYMS FOR vagrant

1 Vagrant, vagabond describe an idle, disreputable person who lacks a fixed abode. Vagrant suggests a tramp, a person with no settled abode or livelihood, an idle and disorderly person: picked up by police as a vagrant. Vagabond especially emphasizes the idea of worthless living, often by trickery, thieving, or other disreputable means: Actors were once classed with rogues and vagabonds.

OTHER WORDS FROM vagrant

Example sentences from the Web for vagrant

British Dictionary definitions for vagrant

vagrant
/ (ˈveɪɡrənt) /

noun

a person of no settled abode, income, or job; tramp
a migratory animal that is off course

adjective

wandering about; nomadic
of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant or vagabond
moving in an erratic fashion, without aim or purpose; wayward
(of plants) showing uncontrolled or straggling growth
Archaic equivalent: vagrom ( ˈveɪɡrəm)

Derived forms of vagrant

vagrantly, adverb vagrantness, noun

Word Origin for vagrant

C15: probably from Old French waucrant (from wancrer to roam, of Germanic origin), but also influenced by Old French vagant vagabond, from Latin vagārī to wander