A romanticized depiction of a tramp smoking a cigar with a cane over his arm, from an 1899 poster. A tramp is a homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally on foot. Unlike other temporarily homeless people, they do not seek out regular work and support themselves by other means such as begging or scavenging. The term "tramp" is derived from the Middle English as a verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (cf. the modern English word "trample").Image: United States Printing Company; Restoration: Adam Cuerden