trek
[trek]
- to travel or migrate, especially slowly or with difficulty.
- South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.
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- South Africa. (of a draft animal) to draw (a vehicle or load).
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- a journey or trip, especially one involving difficulty or hardship.
- South Africa. a migration or expedition, as by ox wagon.
- South Africa. a stage of a journey, especially by ox wagon, between one stopping place and the next.
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Origin of trek
1815–25; < Afrikaans < Dutch trek (noun), trekken (v.) to draw (a vehicle or load), migrate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for trek
Contemporary Examples
During his trek, Brinsley twice passed within a block of a police stationhouse and he almost certainly saw cops along the way.
Overall, few travelers have made the trek into the desert of Sudan to see these architectural wonders.
Horst Ulrich, a 72-year-old German on a trek with a group of friends, watched four Nepali guides swept away by an avalanche.
People like me could work on them at our offices instead of having to trek out to College Park to listen to them every day.
Next step: Sykes will trek in the Himalayas to discover a live yeti.
Historical Examples
But you see, sir, our time is up, and we have determined not to go on the trek any more.
On the Heels of De WetThe Intelligence Officer
Two others, that women had been confined while on the trek in wagons.
The War in South AfricaArthur Conan Doyle
They were to trek a little after dawn, and already Robert and Benita were up and waiting.
Benita, An African RomanceH. Rider Haggard
Our own people are with them, and show them how to trek in the night, and where the footpaths are.
The Peace NegotiationsJ. D. Kestell
To meet him and his family on trek is to glimpse an epitome of his life.
Pan-IslamGeorge Wyman Bury
trek
- a long and often difficult journey
- Southern African a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon
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- (intr) to make a trek
- (tr) Southern African (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)
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Word Origin
C19: from Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch trekken to travel; related to Old Frisian trekka
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for trek
1849 (n.); 1850 (v.), "to travel or migrate by ox wagon," from Afrikaans trek, from Dutch trekken "to march, journey," originally "to draw, pull," from Middle Dutch trecken (cf. Middle Low German trecken, Old High German trechan "to draw"). Especially in reference to the Groot Trek (1835 and after) of more than 10,000 Boers, who, discontent with the English colonial authorities, left Cape Colony and went north and north-east.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper