sojourn
noun

- a short period when a person stays in a particular place

- a short stay in a place that is not your home

Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "sojourn" entered English in the late 13th century (around 1290) from Old French sojorner or sojourner meaning "to stay or dwell for a time."

The Old French term derived from Vulgar Latin subdiurnare,… sub- meaning "under" or "up to”, and diurnum meaning "day" (which also gave us words like "journal" and "journey”).

The literal sense in Latin was essentially "to spend the day" or more broadly "to stay or remain temporarily."

The original meaning in English was "a temporary stay" or "to reside somewhere temporarily." Over time, it has maintained this core meaning of a temporary residence or visit, though it has taken on somewhat elegant or literary connotations in modern usage.

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FRENCH DRESSING
How Borrowed Words Dress Up Our Speech

There's a certain je ne sais quoi that happens when we slip a French word into an English conversation. Sentences start to sparkle — a short trip becomes a sojourn, lunch becomes a déjeuner, fashionable becomes chic, and savvy feels cleverer than clever. French words like rendezvous, fiancé, and à la mode add a certain elegant flourish to both speech and writing.

We should be careful not to overdo it though. Excessive deployment of foreign phrases can transform one's prose from sophisticated to insufferable faster than you can say Schadenfreude. The linguistic show-off risks becoming a persona non grata at social gatherings.

However, while a pinch of international seasoning can elevate one’s speech, no one wants to dine with the verbally pretentious dilettante who's determined to show off their polyglot prowess nonstop“.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

bivouac, brief stay, camp, change of scene, day trip, drop in, excursion, fly-by, getaway, halt, interlude, intermission, jaunt, layover, light somewhere, make an appearance, mini-break, mooring, outing, overnight (stop), pass some time, pit stop, pitch a tent, pop in, quick visit, rest stop, sabbatical, seasonal visit, short stay, SOJOURN, stay over, stop by, stop off, stopover, swing by, tarry, temporary halt, temporary stay, touchdown, transient visit

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

"A SOJOURN abroad can do wonders for making new friends.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

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