vagrantvagrant

The story

From Late Middle English vagraunt (‘person without proper employment; person without a fixed abode, tramp, vagabond’) [and other forms], probably from Anglo-Norman vagarant, wakerant, waucrant (‘vagrant’) [and other forms] and Old French walcrant, waucrant (‘roaming, wandering’) [and other forms], perhaps influenced by Latin vagārī, the present active infinitive of vagor (‘to ramble, stroll about; to roam, rove, wander’). Old French walcrant is the present participle of vagrer, wacrer, walcrer (‘to wander, wander about as a vagabond’) [and other forms], from Frankish *walkrōn (‘to wander about’), the frequentative form of *walkōn (‘to walk; to wander; to stomp, trample; to full (make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating and pressing)’), from Proto-Germanic *walkōną (‘to roll about, wallow; to full’), *walkaną (‘to turn, wind; to toss; to roll, roll about; to wend; to walk; to wander; to trample; to full’). The English word is cognate with Latin valgus (‘bandy-legged, bow-legged’), Middle Dutch walken (‘to knead; to full’), Old English wealcan (‘to roll’), ġewealcan (‘to go; to walk about’), Old High German walchan, walkan (‘to move up and down; to press together; to full; to walk; to wander’), Old Norse valka (‘to wander’).