Trampers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To walk heavily or noisily, usually implying a disregard for surroundings
2. A person who walks about, especially in a manner that indicates carelessness or tiredness
3. Individuals who travel on foot, often in a leisurely or exploratory manner, sometimes with a sense of purpose

Etymology: "Trampers" is the plural of "tramper," a word built simply by adding the agent suffix "-er" to "tramp," so the story really belongs to the verb. The "-er" ending itself has a long road behind it: it passed from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" and reached English by way of Middle English "-er," with its earliest ancestors in Old English "-ere." It is the same suffix found in "baker" or "singer," and it attaches to verbs to name the person or thing doing the action. "Tramp" is the older and more interesting piece, and it is a plain English word whose sense has been shaped by walking itself. It was used for the act of walking heavily, stamping the feet, or trudging over a distance, and that sense of stamping or treading hard is what the modern meaning keeps. Adding "-er" turned the action into a description of the people, or the feet, doing the walking.

Synonyms: hikers, walkers, strollers