pilgrim

pilgrim

pilgrim one who travels to a shrine or other sacred place out of religious motives. Pilgrimages are a feature of many religions and cultures. Examples in ancient Greece were the pilgrimages to Eleusis and Delphi. Pilgrimages are well established in India (e.g., to Varanasi, or Benares, on the sacred Ganges River), in China (e.g., to Mt. Tai), and in Japan (e.g., to Uji-yamada and Taisha). The Temple at Jerusalem was the center of an annual pilgrimage of Jews at Passover. Every Muslim tries to make the pilgrimage to Mecca once in his life; this is the pilgrimage (Hajj) par excellence and has had a remarkable effect in unifying Islam . A favorite Shiite shrine is Karbala . The Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Places of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth, already well established, received great impetus in the 4th cent. from the supposed finding of the True Cross by St. Helena. The Crusades were launched to protect this pilgrimage. In Western Europe the principal shrine is Rome, sacred to St. Peter and St. Paul and the martyrs. Since 1300 the popes have set aside holy years (see jubilee ) for special pilgrimages to Rome. Another historic shrine is Santiago de Compostela , NW Spain; one explanation of the origin of the Chanson de Roland connects it with songs sung to entertain the Compostela pilgrims. The chief shrine of medieval England was the tomb of St. Thomas à Becket at Canterbury—its pilgrimage was immortalized by Geoffrey Chaucer. Other English pilgrimages were to Walsingham and Glastonbury. Badges to show what pilgrimages one had made were a feature of medieval dress. Thus, a palm badge symbolized the visit to the Holy Land, and its wearer was called a palmer. Modern Roman Catholic centers of pilgrimage include Rome, the Holy Land, Loreto , Compostela, Montserrat (Spain), Fátima , Lourdes , Ste Anne d'Auray (see Auray ), Einsiedeln , Częstochowa , Sainte Anne de Beaupré (Quebec), and Guadalupe Hidalgo (Mexico).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"pilgrim." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pilgrim." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pilgrim.html

"pilgrim." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pilgrim.html

Learn more about citation styles

pilgrim

pilgrim a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons. The word comes (in Middle English) from Provençal pelegrin, from Latin peregrinus ‘foreign’ (cf. peregrine).
Pilgrim Fathers the pioneers of British colonization of North America. A group of 102 people led by English Puritans fleeing religious persecution sailed in the Mayflower and founded the colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.
pilgrim's hat a type of broad-brimmed hat as worn by pilgrims, the emblem of St James the Great. It may be ornamented with a pilgrim's shell or scallop shell, carried by a pilgrim as a sign of having visited a shrine, in particular that of St James the Great at Compostela in Spain.
The Pilgrim's Progress title of an allegorical story (1678–84) by John Bunyan, of which the first part tells of the journey of Christian to the Celestial City, and the second the journey of his wife Christiana, guided by Greatheart. The story takes the form of a dream in which the narrator sees Christian (accompanied by Faithful) fleeing from the City of Destruction, and passing through such snares of the world as the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair (where Faithful is put to death), the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Doubting Castle, before reaching the Celestial City. Sustained by Evangelist, and his later companion Hopeful, he faces Giant Despair, Apollyon, and many enemies on his way.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pilgrim." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pilgrim." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pilgrim.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pilgrim." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pilgrim.html

Learn more about citation styles

pilgrim

pil·grim / ˈpilgrəm/ • n. a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons. ∎  (usu. Pilgrim) a member of a group of English Puritans fleeing religious persecution who sailed in the Mayflower and founded the colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. ∎  a person who travels on long journeys. ∎ chiefly poetic/lit. a person whose life is compared to a journey. • v. (-grimed, -grim·ing) [intr.] archaic travel or wander like a pilgrim. DERIVATIVES: pil·grim·ize / -ˌmīz/ v. ( archaic ). ORIGIN: Middle English: from Provençal pelegrin, from Latin peregrinus ‘foreign’ (see peregrine).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"pilgrim." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pilgrim." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pilgrim.html

"pilgrim." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pilgrim.html

Learn more about citation styles

pilgrim

pilgrim †wayfarer XII; one who journeys to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion XIII; P. Fathers XVIII. ME. pilegrim — Pr. pelegrin = (O)F. pèlerin — L. peregrīnus foreign; see PEREGRINE.
So pilgrimage XIII (pelrim-, pilegrim-). — Pr. pilgrinatge = (O)F. pèlerinage.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "pilgrim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "pilgrim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pilgrim.html

T. F. HOAD. "pilgrim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pilgrim.html

Learn more about citation styles

pilgrim

pilgrimbedim, brim, crim, dim, glim, grim, Grimm, gym, him, hymn, Jim, Kim, limb, limn, nim, prim, quim, rim, scrim, shim, Sim, skim, slim, swim, Tim, trim, vim, whim •poem • goyim • cherubim • Hasidim •seraphim, teraphim •Elohim • Sikkim • Joachim • prelim •forelimb • Muslim • Blenheim •paynim • minim • pseudonym •homonym • anonym • synonym •eponym • acronym • antonym •metonym • Antrim • megrim •Leitrim • pilgrim • Purim • interim •passim • maxim • kibbutzim •Midrashim • literatim •seriatim, verbatim •victim •system • ecosystem • subsystem •item • Ashkenazim

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"pilgrim." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pilgrim." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pilgrim.html

"pilgrim." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pilgrim.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Pilgrim's Pride Completes Successful Tender Offer for 88.87% of Gold Kist...
PR Newswire; 12/28/2006
Pilgrim Software Names Thierry Durand as CEO.
News Wire article from: Business Wire; 9/30/2011
Pilgrim networks of the holy shrine of Esquipulas, Guatemala.
Magazine article from: Journal of Cultural Geography; 9/22/2002

Facts and information from other sites

pilgrim images
pilgrim. (Image by Ranveig, CC)