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.
There is certainly plenty of upside for the Fire, which has yet to ignite a large following among Chicago sports fans during much of the team’s somewhat itinerant 27-year history. Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025 The bureaucracy needed to confirm eligibility is costly; the available technology is often outdated; some determinations are unavoidably subjective; and communicating new rules to an itinerant population with brisk job turnover is a challenge, to say the least. Editorial, Boston Herald, 27 May 2025 What emerges is a portrait of the artist as an itinerant hacker, and a snapshot of digital creation in the years before social media or the advent of the cloud. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 7 May 2025 Tensions are further inflamed by the arrival of an itinerant deckhand, Daniel, who makes known his feelings for Jack. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 May 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 12 Jun. 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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