mid-15c., perambulacioun, "a journey or tour of inspection," especially a walk around the borders of a property, parish, etc., to determine the boundaries, from Anglo-Latin (c. 1300) and Anglo-French perambulacion, from Medieval Latin perambulationem (nominative perambulatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin perambulare "to walk through, go through, ramble through," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + ambulare "to walk, go about" (see amble (v.)). Meaning "act of passing or wandering through or over" is by late 15c.