Vagabundo

Vagabundo is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese to describe a person who travels without a fixed home or regular employment, or who roams from place to place. As an adjective, it can describe someone or something that is wandering or unsettled. The word can carry a neutral descriptive sense in some contexts, but in many cases it can be pejorative, referring to someone deemed lazy or idle. In social and historical contexts, vagabond terminology has been used to label itinerant beggars or wanderers, and several jurisdictions developed vagrancy laws addressing those without work or shelter. The gendered forms exist in both languages: vagabundo (masculine) and vagabunda (feminine) in Portuguese, vagabundo and vagabunda in Spanish as well, with concordant adjectives.

Etymology traces vagabundo to Latin vagabundus meaning wandering, from vagari “to wander,” passing into Old French as vagabond and then into Spanish and Portuguese in the form vagabundo. The term is cognate with the English word vagabond and related terms in other Romance languages.

In contemporary usage, vagabundo remains common in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions and appears in literature, music, and cinema to evoke themes of exile, freedom, or marginalization. It can refer descriptively to a way of life or to a person who moves from place to place, but it can also function as a social or moral label depending on context. Despite its broad use, awareness of potential stigmatization is advised when applying the term to describe people who are homeless or itinerant. Related terms include vagabond (English), vagrancy, and homelessness.