pilgrimage

[ pil-gruh-mij ]

noun

1. a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion:

   a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

2. Islam.
   1. the Pilgrimage, hajj.
   2. ʿumrah.
3. any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage:

   a pilgrimage to the grave of Shakespeare.

   Synonyms: tour, excursion

verb (used without object)

, pil·grim·aged, pil·grim·ag·ing.

1. to make a pilgrimage.

pilgrimage

/ ˈpɪlɡrɪmɪdʒ /

noun

1. a journey to a shrine or other sacred place
2. a journey or long search made for exalted or sentimental reasons

verb

1. intr to make a pilgrimage

Word History and Origins

Origin of pilgrimage¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English pilegrimage ( pilgrim, -age ); replacing earlier pelrimage, alteration of Old French pelerinage

Synonym Study

See trip ¹.

Example Sentences

So within each category, we can break down the best candidates to emerge from the outfield corn or otherwise make a pilgrimage to heav– err, Iowa.

From FiveThirtyEight

Legend has it that a boy once saw his deceased mother’s reflection in the pool, which inspired the pilgrimage.

From Ozy

I had never raised a dollar in my life and when I saw he was on the board, I made a pilgrimage to him to get advice and help.

From Time

In high school, whenever I visited Boston for debate tournaments, I made a pilgrimage to touch the famous “lucky” foot of the John Harvard statue on which, I later learned, freshmen boys like to urinate.

From Time

Malaysia’s Batu Caves are a pilgrimage site for Hindus all over the world.

From Ozy

Mrs. Kouachi works at a nursery and has worn the veil since she made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 2008.

From The Daily Beast

So the trip to The Macallan estate was sort of a pilgrimage.

From The Daily Beast

For her next project, the idea of a “pilgrimage” plays another role.

From The Daily Beast

RELATED: Annie Leibovitz's 'Pilgrimage' (Photos) The subjects for Pilgrimage, on the other hand, are intimate objects.

From The Daily Beast

“Pilgrimage roads were important in connecting a multicultural religious community,” Chan said.

From The Daily Beast

For each one of us had seen that one-minded pilgrimage of the brown cattle take place in moons gone by.

From Project Gutenberg

They were probably a company of German priests on a pilgrimage to the Eternal City and its sacred shrines.

From Project Gutenberg

Every pilgrim would consider his pilgrimage of no account if he did not step in here immediately on his arrival.

From Project Gutenberg

His pioneer spirit was so strong that Ilion became a place of pilgrimage for men with ideas.

From Project Gutenberg

So the pilgrimage passed and faded into the mist of the horizon, where the planet unveils itself to the human eye.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crusade
• excursion
• expedition
• tour
• trip