walk [OE] An Old English word that originally meant ‘to roll, toss’ and ‘to wander’, and did not start to mean ‘walk’ until the 13th century. The odd expression walk of life [M18th], meaning ‘a person’s occupation or position within society’, probably derives from the obsolete sense of walk meaning the condition in which one finds oneself. In Australian English a walkabout [L19th] is a journey into the bush that an Aboriginal makes to re-establish contact with traditions and spiritual sources—to go walkabout is to go on such a journey. Since around 1970 the term has also been used of the informal strolls among welcoming crowds favoured by members of the royal family and visiting dignitaries. It can also mean ‘to go missing, disappear’, especially in the context of small objects such as pens, car keys, and television remote controls.