Commuting generally refers to travel between home and work. Originally it referred to someone who lived in one community and worked a long distance away in another, often travelling by "commuter train". As in: "Honey, if we move to Connecticut will quit your job in New Jersey?" "No, I'll commute". As opposed to someone who lived and worked in the same community. Over time it has lost that meaning of travel from one city or suburb to another, and instead has come to refer to any means of travelling to work, whether it is a long or short distance. The definition probably evolved because so many people moved to suburbia and travelled long distances to work, that "commuting" simply became the norm. However it still usually isn't applied to people who walk to work, or who live really close to their job. You wouldn't likely call a one block drive to work a "commute". And if you work at home, and your trip to work is from the bedroom or kitchen to the den, you would only jokingly call that a commute.