rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryperipateticTraveling from place to place
adjective / noun

peripatetic

pair-ih-puh-TET-ik/ˌperipəˈtetɪk/

Traveling from place to place, or someone who does so.

The peripatetic repairman carries his toolbox between different homes.

A compact, text-free sequence shows the same traveling repairman working at one home, walking along a connecting road with his toolbox, and working at a distinctly different home.
Etymology
periGreekaround, about
+pateticGreekto walk, tread

The underlying image is “walking about.” In the selected sense, this extends to an itinerant way of life or work, without requiring that the journeys actually be made on foot.

In context

Reading the Past4:41
a peripatetic quality to monarchy that in certain respects i would say continues on to this day because in the modern era when we think about it the queen is still moving between various residences
The Royal Court in Tudor England

More examples

  • His peripatetic childhood included homes in six states.
  • The peripatetic theater company performs in small towns across the country.
  • A lifelong peripatetic, she rarely stays in one place for long.

Forms

peripatetic · peripatetics

Similar words

itinerant
Often describes someone traveling from place to place for work.
nomadic
Emphasizes moving without maintaining a permanent settled home.
wandering
Often suggests movement without a fixed destination or plan.