sojourn
SOH-jurn
/ˈsoʊdʒɜːrn/
A temporary stay; to stay somewhere temporarily.
Suggests a pleasant or significant stay that is not one's permanent home.
The story behind the word. Coming through Old French 'sojorner', it traces back to the Latin 'sub-' and 'diurnus' (of a day). It literally meant to stay for the day, though it now implies a longer temporary period.
Word relationships
- stay: Stay is common; sojourn is elevated and implies a more meaningful or poetic experience.
- residence: A permanent or long-term place of living.
Commonly confused with
- journey: A journey is the act of traveling; a sojourn is the stay at a destination during the journey.
Word family
- sojourner (noun): A person who resides temporarily in a place.
Collocations
- brief sojourn
- pleasant sojourn
- sojourn abroad
Example sentences
- "After a brief sojourn in Florence, we continued our journey toward Rome." Travel writing.
- "During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day... I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country." A classic literary usage.
Memory hook
It's a 'journey' that is 'so' short. A temporary home.
When not to use
Too formal for a quick stop at a gas station; use it for a stay of days or weeks.
Fun facts
- Sojourner Truth, the famous abolitionist, chose her name to signify her role as a traveler telling the truth.
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