OBAMBULATE

This just in from my Word a Day email from Anu Garg. She has put together words for this week that have a tie to the current elections (Wordsmith.org). Her first word relates to Barack Obama- how timely, as he is killing all of the polls (translation: things are going his way!!). And for the record, I never got to eat the McCain cookie, it was gone in an instant. Here goes:

obambulate

PRONUNCIATION:

(o-BAM-byuh-layt)

MEANING:

verb tr.: To walk about.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin ob- (towards, against) + ambulare (to walk). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ambhi- (around) that is also the source of ambulance, alley, preamble, and bivouac. The first print citation of the word is from 1614.

USAGE:

"We have often seen noble statesmen obambulating (as Dr. Johnson would say) the silent engraving-room, obviously rehearsing their orations." The Year's Art; J.S. Virtue & Co.; 1917.