Walks

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /wɔːks/

Definitions

1. Moves by putting one foot in front of the other at a steady speed ; takes a leisurely trip or exercise outdoors by foot ; behaves or functions in a typical way
2. Travels on foot in a normal or steady manner ; engages in a recreational or purposeful trip on foot ; acts according to a usual manner or nature
3. Advances forward step by step on feet ; participates in an outdoor stroll or exercise ; moves or operates habitually in a regular fashion

Etymology: The plural "walks" simply takes the noun or third-person form of "walk," so the story lies in the base word. Its ancestor carried a sense of rolling and turning rather than of feet. Old English "wealcan" meant to move around, revolve, or roll, and it was closely related to a Germanic verb for working cloth by beating and pounding it, the process called fulling. Modern German "walken" still means to full or tan leather and cloth, and even to knead dough, while the English sense of traveling on foot developed from the older idea of wandering or rolling along a path. The word's links stretch further than one might expect. Latin "valgus," meaning bow-legged or bent outward, belongs to the same family of roots, and the Dutch and German cognates keep the sense of moving around or stirring things up. English "walk" and its nearest relatives in this group therefore share a deep ancestry with words for twisting and turning.

Synonyms: strolls, ambles, paces, hikes, tramps

Antonyms: runs, sprints, jogs, races, dashes