Jaunt

noun

A leisurely walk or excursion for the purpose of enjoyment

verb

To walk leisurely for the purpose of enjoyment

Usage

With the busy lives so many of us lead, it may be easy to forget that we don't always have to go somewhere just to get there. It can be a nice change of pace to walk just to walk around, see the sights, or explore new places. When your trip is completely divorced from your work or schedule, you've embarked upon a jaunt.

The word jaunt can take the form of a noun or a verb, both of which have to do with taking an easy stroll for the sake of pleasure. While the noun form of jaunt denotes a leisurely excursion at an easy pace, the word can also be employed as a verb to mean the act of embarking on such an outing. A jaunt is relaxed and carefree, and one who jaunts is unconcerned with when they get to their destination, or even where that is.

Though the word does not directly describe a person, to say one jaunts suggests that they are going about their business in a totally untroubled, possibly even oblivious manner. Jaunt is also not limited to illustrating a literal walk, but can be ascribed to any journey to imply an easy or relaxed nature. Completely divested of any sense of hurry or urgency, to jaunt is to seek enjoyment purely for its own sake.

Example: When her boss let her go home early, she seized the opportunity to take a jaunt downtown and see the city.

Example: His grandparents make a point to often jaunt somewhere new around town to stay active in their old age.

Origin

It is unclear from what earlier language the word jaunt comes, but its journey through English itself saw a distinct evolution in meaning. In the mid-16th century it had the more specific definition of "to wear out a horse by riding it back and forth." By the late-16th century this element of tiring out was expounded upon and the word began to be used to mean an "exhausting journey." In the mid-17th century, it moved away from this negative sense to take on its current significance of "a brief, leisurely walk."

Derivative Words

Jaunted: Jaunted is the past tense of jaunt.

Example: They jaunted about for so long that they had to stop for a snack and rest their legs.

Jaunting: This is the active verb form of jaunt, meaning one who is presently strolling about freely.

Example: As soon as he heard he was dismissed, he began jaunting off to enjoy his release from responsibility.

Jaunts: In addition to the plural of the noun form jaunts is also its present third-person conjugation

Example: Instead of morning coffee, Karl jaunts by the sea and takes in a whiff of the salty air to wake up in the morning.

Similar Words

Jaunty: While it seems as though it is related to jaunt, jaunty traces its roots to the French "gentil," which translates to "pleasant." In its modern usage, jaunty means to be cheery or in high spirits, and usually connotes boldness or a feeling of being undeterred. Jaunty most often refers to people, and the words jauntily and jauntiness, derive from it rather than jaunt.

In Literature

From Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Death by Black Hole:

The easy part is the ray's 500-second speed-of-light jaunt from the Sun to Earth, through the void of interplanetary space. The hard part is the light's million-year adventure to get from the Sun's center to its surface.

In this passage, Tyson uses the free and pleasant nature of jaunt to contrast the different journeys that light must undertake in different parts of the sun's mass. From the surface of the sun, light makes a short and easy trip, or jaunt, to the surface of the Earth, while the beams from within the sun take a much more arduous path just to travel from the center of the star to its surface.

Mnemonic

You go on a jaunt when you want to flaunt your free time.
If you're a jaunt-er, you don't run, you saunter.