perambulatory
- adjective
- /pəˈræmbjʊlətɔri/
- Archaic
- The surveyor conducted a perambulatory inspection of the property to mark its official boundaries.
Examples
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During the perambulatory review, officials walked the land to assess the condition of the park.
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The mayor's perambulatory visits to various neighborhoods helped address community concerns directly.
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NAFTA includes perambulatory provisions recognizing the importance of sustainable development and encouraging the effective enforcement of environmental law.
Academic text (1998)
Antonyms
How Official
Surface Forms
Morphology
perambulatory = perambulate (semi-transparent) = perambulate + ory
The adjective is transparently formed from the verb 'perambulate' + '-ory', but the specialised legal/inspection sense may not be obvious to learners who only know the basic sense 'to walk about'.
Etymology
Perambulatory comes from the Latin parts per- 'around' and ambulare 'to walk', so it originally meant to walk around to check land or borders. That's why a perambulatory review is an official walk to inspect boundaries.