pilgrim

A pilgrim is a person who undertakes a journey to a sacred place for religious devotion, penance, or spiritual growth. The word derives from the Latin peregrinus meaning foreigner or traveler, via Old French pelgrin/pilgrim. In English usage, the term can refer to someone making a pilgrimage within any religious tradition or to a traveler undertaking a long journey for spiritual purposes.

For Christians, pilgrimages have historically sought sites connected to Jesus, the Virgin Mary, saints, or events; famous routes include the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrimage to Rome. In Islam, the Hajj and the Umrah are pilgrimages to Mecca required or highly recommended for Muslims. Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain traditions also have long-standing pilgrimage practices to sites such as Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Amritsar's Harmandir Sahib, or Rameswaram; these journeys often involve ritual bathing, offerings, and acts of devotion.

In a historical context, the term Pilgrims refers to English Separatists who sailed from England to the New World aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. Their voyage and subsequent settlement are formative in early colonial American history; they signed the Mayflower Compact, an early self-governing agreement.

Today, pilgrim can denote any traveler making a religious pilgrimage or, more broadly, someone undertaking a long or arduous journey in pursuit of personal or spiritual goals. The term may also be used metaphorically to describe a quest for meaning or a transition in life.