Etymology Dictionary

AMBULATION,  walking about.  (Lat.)   Used by Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Errors, b. iii. c. 1. § 4; but uncommon.   Of the adj. ambulatory Rich. gives five examples, one from Bp. Taylor's Great Exemplar, pt. iii. s. 13.   Formed with F. suffix -tion, but really directly from Latin.—Lat. acc. ambulationem, from nom. ambulatio, a walking about.—Lat. ambulatus, pp. of ambulare, to walk about.   β. Curtius (ii. 74) seems right in taking ambulare as short for amb-bu-lare, where amb- is the usual shortened form of ambi, around, and bu-lare contains the root ba, to go, which is so conspicuous in Gk. in βά-σις, a going, βα-δίζειν, to walk, βαίν-ειν, to go, aorist ἔβην.   1. On the prefix ambi-, see Ambidextrous.   2. On the ✔BA, older form GA, see Base, substantive.   Der. ambulat-ory (from ambulatus, pp. of ambulare).   From the same root, amble, per-ambulate, pre-amble.   See Amble.   Also F. ambul-ance, a moveable hospital, now adopted into English.