pilgrim means A surname. It carries an Arena rating of 1383, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pilgrim ranks #1,352 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #1,613 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,673 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #3,928 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
pilgrim is pronounced /ˈpɪlɡɹɪm/.
Why “pilgrim” is a great word
A traveler who journeys to a shrine or sacred place as a devotional act, seeking spiritual transformation through the ordeal of the road. From Middle English pilegrim, from Old English pilegrī̆m, from Old French pelegrin, from Latin peregrīnus ("foreigner, traveler abroad"); the change from /r/ to /l/ (peregrinus > pelegrin) is an effect of dissimilation in early Romance. Unlike a tourist (who travels primarily for pleasure and novelty) or a migrant (who moves for economic or safety reasons), a pilgrim undertakes a temporary voyage whose destination is sanctified by purpose. It is the worn boot on a dusty path to Compostela, the murmured prayer on the cold stones of the Kotel, the weary, hopeful face lifted toward a distant spire—a figure defined not by arrival, but by the longing that compels the journey.
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.
noun
- One who travels to visit a site of religious significance.; Any traveler.e.g.“strangers and pilgrims on the earth”
- One who travels to visit a site of religious significance.; An early American settler.
- A newcomer.e.g.“"I wouldn't unfork that horse yet, pilgrim. I want a good look at ya first."”
- A silk screen formerly attached to the back of a woman's bonnet to protect the neck.
- A settler of the Plymouth Colony, who left for the New World in the early 17th century.
- Someone connected with Plymouth Argyle Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
verb
- To make a pilgrimagee.g.“[T]o all galleries, churches, sistine chapels, ruins, coliseums, and artistic or dilettante shrines he zealously pilgrimed[.]”
- To wander; to ramble.e.g.“For that he hath no certain home, or diet, but pilgrims up and down every where, feeding upon all sorts of Plants”
Words closest in meaning
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