sojourn

Sojourn is a noun defining a temporary stay in a place, often while traveling or during a nonpermanent residence. It can also function as a verb meaning to stay somewhere temporarily. In use, a sojourn denotes duration rather than permanence. For example: “During his sojourn in Paris, he visited many museums” and “she sojourned in a coastal town for the winter.”

Its origin lies in Old French sejourner, from sejour “a stay.” The word entered Middle English through Norman influence, maintaining the sense of a provisional stay rather than a long-term residence. The related French noun sejour is also used today to mean a stay.

Common collocations include brief or extended sojourn, foreign or temporary sojourn, and a person who sojourns is a sojourner. The term is often used in formal or literary writing, travel writing, and historical accounts. It is distinct from stay or residence in emphasizing temporariness and travel.

See also: stay, residence, lodging, visit. Notable uses: Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and orator, adopted the name reflecting a journey and mission, illustrating how the term can appear in personal as well as general usage.