pilgrim

[ pil-grim, -gruh m ]
/ ˈpɪl grɪm, -grəm /

noun

a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion: pilgrims to the Holy Land.
a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place.
an original settler in a region.
(initial capital letter) one of the band of Puritans who founded the colony of Plymouth, Mass., in 1620.
a newcomer to a region or place, especially to the western U.S.

Origin of pilgrim

1150–1200; Middle English pilegrim, pelegrim, cognate with Old Frisian pilegrīm, Middle Low German pelegrīm, Old High German piligrīm, Old Norse pīlagrīmr, all < Medieval Latin pelegrīnus, dissimilated variant of Latin peregrīnus peregrine

OTHER WORDS FROM pilgrim

pil·gri·mat·ic, pil·gri·mat·i·cal, adjective

Words nearby pilgrim

pileus, pilewort, pilfer, pilferage, pilgarlic, pilgrim, pilgrim bottle, pilgrim fathers, pilgrim's progress, pilgrimage, pilgrimage of grace

Words related to pilgrims

traveler, settler, crusader, wanderer, pioneer, sojourner

Example sentences from the Web for pilgrims

British Dictionary definitions for pilgrims (1 of 2)

pilgrim
/ (ˈpɪlɡrɪm) /

noun

a person who undertakes a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion
any wayfarer

Word Origin for pilgrim

C12: from Provençal pelegrin, from Latin peregrīnus foreign, from per through + ager field, land; see peregrine

British Dictionary definitions for pilgrims (2 of 2)

Pilgrim
/ (ˈpɪlɡrɪm) /

noun

See Canterbury Pilgrims (def. 2)

Cultural definitions for pilgrims

Pilgrims

A group of English Puritans, persecuted in their own country, who emigrated to America. The first group arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. They landed at Plymouth Rock, in what is now Massachusetts, and established the Plymouth Colony, with the Mayflower Compact as their constitution. William Bradford and Miles Standish were noted leaders of the colony.