vagabond (French)

Where does "vagabond" come from?

The French noun 'vagabond' was borrowed from Late Latin 'vagābundus'[1]. This Latin term originates from the verb 'vagor' meaning 'I wander', combined with the suffix '-bundus'[2]. The verb itself is formed from 'vagus', which translates to 'wandering' or 'roaming', plus the suffix '-or'[3].

Full etymology tree

• vagabond (French), 'vagabond'
  • borrowed vagabundus (Latin), 'strolling about'
    • derived vagor (Latin), 'to ramble, wander, stroll about, roam, rove'
      • derived vagus (Latin), 'wandering, rambling, strolling, roving, roaming, unfixed, unsettled, vagrant'
      • suffix -or (Latin), 'used to form an abstract noun from a verb root or conceived root form'
    • suffix -bundus (Latin), 'Derives adjectives with an active or transitive meaning, sometimes even taking a direct object.'

Ancestors

• vagabundus (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• courant vagabond (French)
• vagabondage (French)
• vagabonder (French)

Sources

1. vagabond (French) - Wiktionary
2. vagabundus (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. vagor (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris