Origin and history of walk

"travel on foot," c. 1200, walken, a merging and sense-shift of two verbs: 1. Old English wealcan "to toss, roll, move round" (past tense weolc, past participle wealcen), and 2. wealcian "to roll up, curl." Both are from Proto-Germanic *welk- (source also of Old Norse valka "to drag about," Danish valke "to full" (cloth), Middle Dutch walken "to knead, press, full" (cloth), Old High German walchan "to knead," German walken "to full"), and perhaps ultimately from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve."

The shift in sense is perhaps from a specialization of the Old English word via the notion of "be in motion," or via walk (v.) in a sense of "to full cloth" (by treading on it). This sense in English is not attested earlier than the meaning "travel on foot," unless it explains the surname Walker.

It is attested by c. 1400 as "to pace" (a room, the floor). By mid-14c. as "walk for purposes of recreation, exercise, solitude, etc." In a 13c. bestiary it is used of snakes. Also in Middle English of the passage of time and in 15c. of wheeled carts. "Rarely is there so specific a word as NE walk, clearly distinguished from both go and run" [Buck].

By c. 1300 as "behave, act, or live in a certain manner," frequently in a religious sense (walk with God) and translating Latin ambulare. By early 14c. in reference to an unquiet spirit or the resurrected dead, "move about on earth." By c. 1600 as "act in one's sleep, sleepwalk."

It was used by mid-14c. figuratively, of abstract things (fear, plague, etc.), in a sense of "be at work, be present and active." To walk among "be with, be company with" is from late 14c. 

The transitive meaning "move through or over by walking" is from c. 1300; that of "cause to walk, lead, drive," especially "exercise a dog (or horse) by walking" is from late 15c.

The meaning "to escort (someone) on a walk" is from 1620s. The meaning "move (a heavy object) by turning and shoving it in a manner suggesting walking" is by 1890. The colloquial sense of "depart, leave, walk away," is mid-19c., but it had been used long before as "proceed, go, depart" (early 14c.) and "go away" (mid-15c.).

A walk-off (n.) as "an act of walking off" is by 1936 in stage jargon. To walk it off, of an injury, cramp, etc., is from 1741. Related: Walked; walking.

c. 1200, perhaps Old English, "a tossing, rolling;" mid-13c., "an act of walking, a going on foot;" late 14c., "a stroll, journey," also "a path, a walkway, place laid out for walking;" from walk (v.).

The meaning "particular manner of walking" is from 1650s. As the slowest gait of a land animal, by 1680s. The sense of "manner of action, way of living" is from 1580s; hence walk of life (1733). The meaning "range or sphere of activity" is from 1759.

As "place where a game-cock is kept," and where no other cock is allowed in, 1610s (compare cock of the walk); walk (v.) in reference to animals, "to range, be found in," is by c. 1300.

The sports sense of "base on balls" is recorded from 1905; to win in a walk (1854) is from horse racing (see walk-over). In names of popular dances based on a walking gait, by 1937. As a type of sponsored group trek as a fund-raising event, by 1971 (walk-a-thon is from 1963).