Vagrantism
/ˈveɪɡ.rən.tɪz.əm/noun
The condition or practice of living as a vagrant or wanderer.
Did you know?English vagrancy laws historically treated wandering without recognized work or settlement as a punishable social condition, turning mobility itself into evidence of suspicion.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
vagārī
“to wander, roam, or stray”
Classical Latin
Latin
vagus
“wandering, unsettled, or aimless”
Medieval Latin
Latin
vagāns
“wandering; a person who wanders”
12th–13th Century
Old French
vagant
“Wandering or roaming; the source of English vagrant”
14th Century
English
vagrant
“A wandering or itinerant person, increasingly associated with someone without settled employment”
Modern English
English
vagrantism
“A rare formation meaning the condition or practice of being vagrant”
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