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pilgern

to go on a pilgrimage, to trek

verb PIL-gern Rare
Travel & Places Movement

Origin: from Latin peregrinus via Middle High German

Also means

to make a (humorous) trek to a destination

Usage Note

pilgern means to travel as a pilgrim to a holy site, but in modern colloquial usage it is often used humorously for any long journey to a popular destination: wir sind zum Konzert gepilgert (we trekked to the concert). The literal religious sense remains current for routes like the Jakobsweg.

Examples

"Jedes Jahr pilgern Tausende auf dem Jakobsweg nach Santiago de Compostela."

Natural Translation

Every year thousands make the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago.

Literal Translation

Every year thousands pilgrim on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela.

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