migration
my-GRAY-shuhn
/maɪˈɡreɪ.ʃən/
Seasonal movement of animals from one region to another for feeding, breeding, or surviving climate shifts.
Implies a predictable, cyclical, regular trip across distances rather than random wandering.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'migratio', derived from 'migrare' (to change one's abode or move). Latin writers used it for human movements, but by the 17th century, natural philosophers applied it to seasonal animal journeys.
Word relationships
- relocation: Relocation can be permanent and artificial; migration is cyclic, natural, and seasonal.
Commonly confused with
- emigration: Emigration refers specifically to individuals permanently leaving a human country, whereas migration applies broadly to animal seasonal moves or population shifts.
Word family
- migrate (verb): To move from one region to another.
- migratory (adjective): Relating to or characterized by migration.
Collocations
- annual migration
- migration route
- seasonal migration
- mass migration
Example sentences
- "The annual migration of songbirds across the gulf requires enormous energy reserves and precise navigation." Ornithology
- "Barriers like fences and highways disrupt the historical migration routes of elk and pronghorn herds." Wildlife monitoring
Memory hook
MIGRATE = Move In Great Routes Across The Earth. Migrare = move from place to place.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'immigration' (moving into a specific country) or random nomadic wandering.
Fun facts
- The Arctic Tern completes the longest migration of any animal, flying roughly 44,000 miles round-trip each year from pole to pole.
Explore more words
migrate, immigrate, emigrate, transience, resettlement, immigrant
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