saunter

saunter

English

Etymology

Etymology unclear. Attested in the sense “to stroll” from the 1660s; noun sense “a stroll” attested 1828.[1] Likely from earlier term meaning “to muse”, late 15th century, from late Middle English santren, of unknown origin.[1] Competing theories exist:

• From Anglo-Norman sauntrer (mid 14th century), from Middle French s'aventurer (“to take risks”); however this is considered unlikely by the OED.[2] Compare Middle English aunter (“adventure”).[3]
• Of Germanic origin, with proposed cognates including German schlendern, Dutch slenteren, Danish slentre, Swedish släntra, and Icelandic slentur, all meaning “to stroll”.[4]
• From Old French sentier (“path”).[5] In this case, santren would reflect earlier *sa(u)nteren, *senteren /sa(u̯)nˈteːrən/, /sɛnˈteːrən/, with Late Middle English stress shift and concomitant vowel reduction. This etymology is problematic {Old French */ɛn/ is not usually reflected as Middle English /a(u̯)n/, but there are exceptions, such as bran (besides expected bren) "bran".

Various fanciful folk etymologies have also been given.[6][7]

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔntɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔːntə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑntɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːntə(ɹ)

Verb

saunter (third-person singular simple present saunters, present participle sauntering, simple past and past participle sauntered)

1. To stroll, or walk at a leisurely pace.

   Synonyms: amble, stroll, wander

   • 1858-1880, David Masson, The Life Of John Milton: 1649-1654

     One could lie under elm trees in a lawn, or saunter in meadows by the side of a stream.

   • 1986 November 24, Susan Sontag, “The Way We Live Now”, in The New Yorker‎:

     And, after all, they were once very close, doesn’t Lewis still have the keys to his apartment, you know the way you let someone keep the keys after you’ve broken up, only a little because you hope the person might just saunter in, drunk or high, late some evening, […]

Translations

stroll or walk at a leisurely pace

Bulgarian: шляя се (šljaja se), разхождам се бавно (razhoždam se bavno) Dutch: slenteren (nl) Esperanto: vagi French: flâner (fr) German: müßig umherschlendern, bummeln (to saunter about) Greek: σουλατσάρω (el) (soulatsáro) Irish: meallac Italian: passeggiare (it), vagare (it), camminare (it), girovagare (it), sollazzare (it) Maori: whakatīhake, hāereere Norwegian: slentre Persian: سیر کردن‎ (fa) (seyr kardan) Polish: kroczyć (pl) impf, przechadzać się impf, spacerować (pl) impf Portuguese: passear (pt) Russian: прогуливаться (ru) (progulivatʹsja), прохаживаться (ru) (proxaživatʹsja), фланировать (ru) (flanirovatʹ) Spanish: pasear (es) Swedish: strosa (sv), flanera (sv)

Noun

saunter (plural saunters)

1. A leisurely walk or stroll.
   • 1814, Elizabeth Hervey, Amabel, volume 1, page 53:

     Caroline […] begged that the drive might be given up for a saunter about the gardens […]

2. A leisurely pace.
3. (obsolete) A place for sauntering or strolling.
   • 1725–1728, [Edward Young], “(please specify the page)”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, OCLC 221368894:

     That wheel of fops, that saunter of the town.

Translations

a leisurely walk or stroll

Bulgarian: разходка (bg) f (razhodka) Chinese: Mandarin: 閒逛／闲逛 (zh) (xiánguàng) Dutch: slenteren (nl) Finnish: käyskennellä French: flânerie (fr) f German: Umherschlendern, gemächliche Wanderung; Schlendergang Kazakh: серуен (seruen), сейіл (seiıl) Korean: 한가로이 걷다 (han'garoi geotda) Manchu: ᡧᠣᡩᠣᠮᠪᡳ (šodombi) Norwegian: spasertur (no) m Polish: przechadzka (pl) f, spacer (pl) m Portuguese: passeio (pt) m Russian: прогулка (ru) (progulka) Spanish: paseo (es) m

A leisurely pace

Russian: медленная походка (medlennaja poxodka)

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “saunter”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
2. Oxford English Dictionary
3. Proposed by Blackley (Word Gossip, 1869); see 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
4. Wedgwood; see 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
5. William Bennett (1992), “Some English Relations of the French Low Nasal”, in La Linguistique‎, volume 28, issue 2, Presses Universitaires de France, page 147
6. Saunter., Languagehat, July 24, 2004
7. In Walking, Henry David Thoreau derives it from Sainte Terre (“holy land”) or sans terre (“without land”); these are dismissed as far-fetched.

Anagrams

• Transue, aunters, natuers, natures, sea turn, seruant, tea urns, tea-urns, unrates