homecoming means the act or event of returning home. It carries an Arena rating of 1658, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, homecoming ranks #1,628 of 13,223 for Most Malleable Words, #2,064 of 13,223 for Most Elegant Words, #2,737 of 13,223 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,821 of 13,223 for Most Ingenious Words.
homecoming is pronounced /ˈhoʊmˌkʌmɪŋ/.
Why “homecoming” is a great word
A return to one's place of origin or alma mater, marked by emotional gravity and often by ceremony. From Middle English hom-comyng, home komyng, equivalent to 'home' + 'coming', probably an alteration of earlier Middle English hom-come, from Old English hāmcyme ("homecoming, return"), a compound of hām (home) and cyme (arrival). First recorded in the Middle English period (1150–1500). Unlike a 'reunion,' which centers on the gathering of people, or a 'return,' which is a general act of going back, a homecoming is a pilgrimage to a specific, emotionally-charged source. It is the train pulling into the station of your childhood town, the worn-in creak of a porch step under a familiar boot, and the quiet, almost painful recognition of your own face in a hallway mirror—a ceremony for the self you once were, held in the place you can no longer quite inhabit.
Etymology
From Middle English hom-comyng, home komyng, home-cumyng, home-commynge, equivalent to home + coming. Probably an alteration of earlier Middle English hom-come, homkome, hame-come, ham-cume, from Old English hāmcyme (“homecoming; return”).
noun
- The act or event of returning home.“His homecoming was saddened by the news of his mother's death the day before.”
- In high schools and colleges, a tradition centered around a football game, a parade and the coronation of a Homecoming Queen.“Many alumni come back for homecoming, and many freshmen are advised to flee.”
Words closest in meaning
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