A nomad is a person who does not have a home that moves from place to place because of a means of getting food finding pasture for livestock or making a living. Most nomadic groups follow a fixed annual or seasonal pattern of movements and settlements. Nomads often travel by horse canoe or on foot. The term is also used to describe an individual who does not have a fixed home, but rather travels from place to place, working and living in a variety of locales as a way of gaining experience and income, and learning about different cultures.
Etymology of the term
The word nomad is derived from the Turkic word for "wanderer" or "warrior," which in turn may originate in the Scythian word for "homeless wanderer" (nóm). The word() was originally used to describe the Turkic-speaking nomadic peoples of Central Asia.