Thoreau, Walking

Henry David Thoreau explains in his essay Walking the origin of the word “saunter”:

It goes something like this:
It was at the times of the crusades. And men who were on their way to the Holy Land - also known as Saint Terre - to fight the infidels asked the people for alms, repast and shelter.

Now there were men, dedicated to the cause of walking here and there and anywhere *but* to the Holy Land, aka Saint Terre, fighting the infidels.

Those men picked up the habit of asking for alms, repast and shelter claiming that they too were on their way to the Holy Land, Saint Terre, as well.

When something in their demeanor gave them away as merely men who were dedicated to walking here and there and anywhere *but* to the Holy Land to kill the infidels, the populace mockingly and perhaps even affectionally dubbed them Saint Terrers.
Thus in time the word “saunter”, roaming here and there and everywhere where was born and survives to this day.


http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/saunter
Definition: stroll along
Synonyms: amble, ankle, dally, drift, linger, loiter, meander, percolate, promenade, ramble, roam, rove, sashay, stump, tarry, toddle, traipse, trill, wander