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arpenter

to pace, to survey by pacing

verb ar-pahn-TEH Rare
Travel & Places Movement

Usage Note

arpenter originally meant to measure land by walking it (from arpent, an old French unit of area). Today it most often means to stride back and forth across a space: arpenter le couloir (to pace the corridor). The agent noun arpenteur still means a land surveyor.

Examples

"Il arpentait la salle d'attente avec impatience."

Natural Translation

He was pacing the waiting room impatiently.

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