Word
pilgrim
Phoneticspil·grim
US/ˈpɪɫɡɹəm/
UK/pˈɪlɡɹɪm/
Definitions
01religious traveler
n. a person who travels to a holy place for religious reasons.
n. a person who journeys to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.
“Every year, thousands of pilgrims visit the city to pray at the temple.”
“The medieval cathedral was a major destination for pilgrims seeking spiritual healing and penance after their long journey across the continent.”
02the Plymouth settlers
n. one of the English people who traveled to America on the Mayflower in 1620.
n. one of the English settlers who established the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620.
“Children in American schools often learn about the first Thanksgiving held by the Pilgrims.”
“Historical accounts of the Pilgrims often emphasize their search for religious freedom and the harsh conditions they faced during their first winter in New England.”
American English
Synonyms
03devoted visitor
n. someone who travels to a place they respect very much, even if it is not religious.
n. a person who travels to a place of great personal or cultural importance as a mark of respect.
“Music fans are like pilgrims when they visit the house where the famous singer lived.”
“For many literature students, a trip to the writer's remote cottage is a necessary journey for any true pilgrim of his work.”
Literary
04to travel as a pilgrim
v. to travel to a holy or special place.
v. to perform a pilgrimage or to wander to a significant destination.
“The old man decided to pilgrim across the mountains to see the shrine one last time.”
“In the epic poem, the protagonist must pilgrim through desolate lands to reach the ancient oracle.”
Literary · Archaic
Real-World Examples
“And there's the famous springtime of Chaucer's pilgrims, as they ride out through "April, with its sweet showers" ("Aprill with his shoures soote") on their way to Canterbury in The Canterbury Tales .” “In February, 15 people died on board a bus carrying pilgrims to a festival in the north-eastern state of Ceará.” “Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured when a bus carrying Polish pilgrims veered off a Hungarian motorway and into a ditch.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English pilegrim, from Old English pilegrī̆m, from Old French pelegrin, from Latin peregrīnus (“foreigner”). Doublet of peregrine. The change of /r…r/ to /l…r/ is an effect of dissimilation in early Romance; compare Italian pellegrino.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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englishreference.com/q/pilgrim