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Wanderjahr

American  
[vahn-duhr-yahr] / ˈvɑn dərˌyɑr /

noun

German.
Wanderjahre plural
  1. a year or period of travel, especially following one's schooling and before practicing a profession.

  2. (formerly) a year in which an apprentice traveled and improved his skills before settling down to the practice of his trade.


Wanderjahr British  
/ ˈvandərjaːr /

noun

  1. (formerly) a year in which an apprentice travelled to improve his skills

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of Wanderjahr

First recorded in 1890–95; German: literally, “wander year”; see origin at wander ( def. ), year ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Laughlin left Harvard after his freshman year, took off for a Wanderjahr in Europe.

From Time Magazine Archive

On a Wanderjahr around the world in 1908, Bayard stopped off at the American University of Beirut, in the Lebanon.

From Time Magazine Archive

During his involuntary Wanderjahr Wissenback crossed frontiers half a dozen times, rode next to German officers in trains.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Storyteller grew famous by turning the travels of a tweedy, 2-in.-tall mouse into a memorable Wanderjahr for children, loaded with longing and nostalgia.

From Time Magazine Archive

And yet—the lady in this case was to all appearances soundly and securely asleep; the mouse, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to crowd a Wanderjahr into a few strenuous minutes. 

From Reginald in Russia and other sketches by Saki

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