godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Rare, literary verb for aimless wandering. Modern Japanese normally uses 歩き回る or うろつく.
古い小説では、主人公が夜の街をもとおる場面がある。
In old novels, there are scenes where the protagonist wanders around the town at night.
Standard kanji form for this rare verb.
Alternate kanji form; less common.
The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 回 and 廻 both carry meanings of revolving or going around, which fits the sense of wandering.