Pelerins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The plural form referencing people on a spiritual or religious journey to a sacred place ; used to denote groups traveling to sites of devotion or significance
2. Indicating multiple individuals participating in a ritual voyage for faith or reverence ; commonly applied to those journeying collectively for religious reasons
3. A term describing groups of devoted travelers seeking holy destinations ; referring to assemblies engaged in pilgrimages for religious purposes

Etymology: "Pelerins" is simply the plural of "pelerin," so its history is that of the singular form. The singular came into Middle English from Old French "pelerin," which in turn descends from Latin "peregrinus," a word meaning "foreigner" or "traveler." The Latin root reveals the original idea: someone who was not a citizen, a stranger passing through a land, and only later a person journeying to a holy site. English also has "pilgrim," which is a doublet of "pelerin." Both words grew from the same Latin source but reached English by different routes, one through Old French and the other through a separate line of borrowing, so they ended up as two distinct words with nearly identical meanings. "Pelerin" survived in the form that gave us the plural "pelerins," used for groups travelling together on religious journeys.

Synonyms: pilgrims, travelers, wayfarers, journeyers, voyagers