jornada

Jornada is a noun used in Spanish and Portuguese with several related meanings. It commonly denotes the duration of a day or the amount of work to be done during that day, as in jornada laboral (workday) or jornada completa (full day of work). It can also refer to a leg or segment of a journey, for example una jornada de viaje, or to a day-long event or campaign, such as una jornada electoral (election day) or una jornada internacional (an international daylong event).

Etymology: The term derives from Latin diurnata, through the Romance languages, including Old Spanish and Portuguese jornada.

Notable uses: La Jornada is a major Mexican daily newspaper. Jornada del Muerto is a desert region of eastern New Mexico whose name translates roughly as “Journey of the Dead” or “Desert of the Dead,” reflecting a historically difficult stretch for travelers. In general language use, jornada appears in many expressions detailing work, travel, or events scheduled over a day.

See also: diurnal, workday, journeyman.