The Latin adjective diurnus means “pertaining to a day, daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, diurnus became a noun, jour, meaning simply “day” The medieval French derivative journee meant either “day” or “something done during the day,” such as work or travel. Middle English borrowed journee as journey in both senses, but only the sense “a day’s travel” survived into modern usage. In modern English, journey now refers to a trip without regard to the amount of time it takes. The verb journey developed from the noun and is first attested in the 14th century.

Recent Examples on the Web Working out at home may also be good for new people on their fitness journeys or returning to a healthier lifestyle. — Dominique Fluker, Essence , 13 Sep. 2023 Finally, the company’s longest-running journey , Timeless Encounters, will return for a 24-day trip to some of the most iconic bucket list destinations from May 9 to June 1, 2025. — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure , 13 Sep. 2023 In a new interview with The Telegraph published Wednesday, the comics legend behind Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Batman: The Killing Joke, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and more spoke about his journey into literary publishing following the release of his short story collection, Illuminations. — Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter , 13 Sep. 2023 Comprising over 200 evocative images, the book sheds light on the often-unseen aspects of care, motherhood, family dynamics, and the post-motherhood journey . — Photovogue, Vogue , 12 Sep. 2023 Of course, Rodrigo’s own signature style and journey informed the energy of her looks and the overall photo shoot. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone , 12 Sep. 2023 In 1977, a staff writer for The New Yorker named Jervis Anderson journeyed to Dean Street in Brooklyn, to the neighborhood now known as Boerum Hill, to interview the people who lived there. — Jonathan Lethem, The New Yorker , 21 Aug. 2023 Rudy Giuliani reportedly journeyed to Mar-a-Lago to beg former President Donald Trump to pay his ballooning legal fees as the ex-New York City mayor faces an increasingly grim financial picture. — Dave Goldiner New York Daily News (tns), al , 17 Aug. 2023 After a decades-long battle over its ownership, a 170-year-old sculpture will soon journey from Virginia back to its home in Boston. — Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine , 15 Aug. 2023 According to the park’s website, former employees reunited in the late 1980s, sparking an interest in reviving the Land of Oz, and today, people can journey back to the Emerald City each fall for Autumn of Oz weekend events. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure , 29 July 2023 Jet-setters will start in Greece, then journey down through Egypt, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mauritius, Zambia, and South Africa. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report , 19 July 2023 Summer is winding down and students across the country are getting ready to journey to colleges and universities for the first time. — Kate Perez, USA TODAY , 4 Aug. 2023 See More These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'journey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

The first known use of journey was in the 13th century See more words from the same century “Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 16 Sep. 2023.

Copy Citation The Latin word dies means "day," and diurnus means "of a day." From the word diurnus came the early French jour, meaning "day," and journee, meaning "a day's work, a day's travel." Journee was borrowed into Middle English with both of its meanings, but only the second one, "a day's travel," came into widespread use. The modern form journey now refers to travel without regard to the amount of time taken. The English word journal can also be traced back to the Latin dies. From the adjective diurnus, the word diurnalis, meaning "daily," was formed. This was taken into French as journal. In this form it was borrowed into Middle English. It was at first also used to mean "daily," but it is now found only as a noun in English.

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