Walked slowly and leisurely, usually for pleasure rather than to get somewhere quickly.
From Italian 'strollare' or German 'strollen,' possibly related to wandering. The term appeared in English in the 1600s, often describing both the physical act and the leisurely attitude that goes with aimless walking.
Before cars existed, 'taking a stroll' was THE entertainment—people would dress up just to walk slowly through town and see friends, so the word captures an entire lost culture of slow-paced social life that most modern kids will never experience.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.