nomad

[ noh-mad ]

noun

1. 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.
2. any wanderer; itinerant.

adjective

1. nomadic.

nomad

/ ˈnəʊmæd /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˈnomadism, noun

Other Words From

• nomad·ism noun
• non·nomad noun adjective
• semi·nomad noun
• semi·nomad·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nomad¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin nomad-, from Greek, stem of nomás “roaming about for pasture,” akin to némein “to pasture, graze”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nomad¹

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

Example Sentences

As she tells the story in her book Nomad, she met with liberal and conservative outfits.

From The Daily Beast

Today, she takes the formula from me and sucks down every last drop of liquid like a desert-thirsty nomad.

From The Daily Beast

He ended the trip with 5,000 Twitter followers and a new title: digital nomad.

From The Daily Beast

FS: I used to be a café and restaurant nomad, camping out at various spots in Cambridge to write all day.

From The Daily Beast

At DVF, multiple pompoms adorned floppy knit hats, adding a dose of whimsy to a collection inspired by a mythical "nomad."

From The Daily Beast

In China the patriarch of a nomad horde became emperor of a nation retaining ancestor worship as its chief religious system.

From Project Gutenberg

These dogs guard the flocks, or the nomad camps, and rather resemble large collies; as a rule, they are black and very fierce.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a nomad, wandering from place to place, feeding upon whatever living things he could kill with his hands.

From Project Gutenberg

He has a hand-to-mouth, nomad existence, ending in the inevitable frozen misery of the workhouse.

From Project Gutenberg

The question will have to be asked: Is it better for this population to be practically nomad or settled?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• migrant
• pilgrim
• vagabond
• wanderer