nomad

Where does the word "nomad" come from? It comes from Greek nomas, passing through Latin and French before entering English (1580s).

Nomad’s story begins in Greek: nomas meant “wandering herder.” 'roaming to find pasture', from 'nemein', to graze; the Romans' 'Numidia' in North Africa was named from it. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as nomas. A wandering herdsman. From there it passed into French as nomade by 1500s. Nomadic peoples. It reached English by 1580s as nomad. 'digital nomad' dates from the 1990s. Today, nomad means a member of a people with no permanent home who travel from place to place.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient nomas "wandering herder", 'roaming to find pasture', from 'nemein', to graze; the Romans' 'Numidia' in North Africa was named from it.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient nomas "nomad", a wandering herdsman.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1500s nomade "nomad", nomadic peoples.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1580s nomad "wanderer", 'digital nomad' dates from the 1990s.