“pilgrims” is a form of
pilgrim
/ˈpɪlɡɹɪm/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms pilgrims pilgriming pilgrimed
- noun (now literary) Any traveler.
- noun (by extension) An early American settler.
- noun (slang) A newcomer.
- noun (historical) A silk screen formerly attached to the back of a woman's bonnet to protect the neck.
- verb (intransitive) To make a pilgrimage
- verb (intransitive, archaic) To wander; to ramble.
- noun (historical, usually in the plural) A settler of the Plymouth Colony, who left for the New World in the early 17th century.
- noun (soccer) Someone connected with Plymouth Argyle Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English pilegrim, from Old English pilegrī̆m, from Old French pelegrin, from Latin peregrīnus (“foreigner”). Doublet of peregrine.
The change of /r…r/ to /l…r/ is an effect of dissimilation in early Romance; compare Italian pellegrino.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A wayfarer; a wanderer; a traveler; a stranger.
- noun One who travels far, or in strange lands, to visit some holy place or shrine as a devotee; as, a pilgrim to Loretto; Canterbury pilgrims. See Palmer. P. Plowman.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a pilgrim, or pilgrims; making pilgrimages.
- verb To journey; to wander; to ramble. [R.] Grew. Carlyle.
Etymology [OE. pilgrim, pelgrim, pilegrim, pelegrim; cf. D. pelgrim, OHG. piligrim, G. pilger, F. pèlerin, It. pellegrino; all fr. L. peregrinus a foreigner, fr. pereger abroad; per through + ager land, field. See Per-, and Acre, and cf. Pelerine, Peregrine.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pilgrim”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details