sojourn
SOH-jurn
/ˈsɒdʒɜːrn/
A temporary stay.
A temporary stay or visit in a place, often carrying a poetic, peaceful, or deliberate connotation.
The story behind the word. From Old French sojourner, based on Latin sub (under) + diurnum (day), literally meaning 'to spend the day' or stay temporarily.
Word relationships
- stay: A stay is a neutral, everyday word, while a sojourn is literary and suggests a more meaningful or reflective period of time.
- stopover: A stopover is a brief pause during a longer journey, often at an airport, whereas a sojourn is a deliberate, temporary residence.
- residence: Residence implies permanent or long-term living, while sojourn is strictly temporary.
Commonly confused with
- journey: A journey is the act of traveling from one place to another, while a sojourn is the temporary stay at the destination.
Word family
- sojourner (noun): a person who resides temporarily in a place
Collocations
- brief sojourn
- temporary sojourn
- pleasant sojourn
Example sentences
- "After a brief sojourn in the countryside, she returned to the bustling city refreshed." Literary travel description.
Memory hook
Sojourn sounds like 'soul-journey'—a temporary stay that refreshes your soul. Sojourn is a temporary stay.
When not to use
Do not use for a rushed, chaotic business trip or a simple daily commute; it implies a meaningful, temporary residence.
Fun facts
- The word 'sojourn' is built from the Latin sub (under) and diurnum (day), which also gives us the word 'journal' and 'journey'. It literally meant 'to spend the day' in a place.
Related words
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