Ambulante

Ambulante is an adjective and noun used in several Romance languages, derived from the Latin ambulare meaning “to walk.” It generally conveys movement, roaming, or the ability to walk, and in everyday use it also refers to people who travel to sell goods, i.e., street vendors or itinerant sellers.

In Italian, ambulante is commonly used as a noun for a street vendor: venditore ambulante. The term appears in discussions of city life, markets, and local regulation, where licensing, permits, and municipal controls govern the activities of ambulant merchants. The concept can describe mobile merchants who operate with carts or stalls.

In Portuguese, ambulante similarly describes a street vendor (vendedor ambulante). It also appears in phrases like serviço ambulante for mobile or traveling services. The informality and regulation of ambulant commerce vary by country, with municipal licensing often required to operate legally.

In Spanish, ambulante is used in many regions to mean a salesperson who moves about selling goods (venta ambulante or comerciante ambulante). The street vending sector is a common feature of urban economies and is subject to local laws regarding permits, space allocation, and safety.

In medical contexts across languages, ambulant or ambulatorio refers to outpatient care or patients who do not require hospital admission. Ambulatory care is contrasted with inpatient or stationary care. The form ambulatorio is used in Italian to denote outpatient clinics.

The English term ambulant exists but is less common outside specific contexts; when used, it often relates to mobility or ambulatory care. Etymology traces to Latin ambulans, ambulant-, the present participle of ambulare.