A Journey Was Once One Day's Travel
A journey is an act of travelling from one place to another. The word originally measured a single day on the road.
A journey is travel from one place to another, and now it is also a favourite metaphor for any long process. The measurement inside the word is forgotten: Old French *journee* meant a day's work or a day's travel, so a *three days' journey* once said exactly what it meant.
- An act of travelling. *A long journey north.*
- A process of change. *Her journey through illness.*
- To travel. *They journeyed on foot.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | journey | A tiring journey. |
| Plural | journeys | Daily journeys. |
| Verb | journey | They journeyed south. |
| Related | journeyman | A journeyman carpenter. |
| Related | trip | A day trip. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The journey takes four hours by train.The travel itself.
- It has been quite a journey.The metaphorical use, now very common.
- A journeyman was paid by the day.The old word for a qualified worker on daily wages.
Travel words compared
- Journey — the act of travelling, especially a long one
- Trip — a journey and the stay at the end of it
- Voyage — a long journey by sea or in space
- Expedition — a journey with a purpose, often exploratory
- Commute — the regular journey to work
From Old French *journee*, a day's work or travel, from *jour*, day. A *journeyman* was originally a craftsman hired by the day, not one who travelled.
Journey or trip?
In British English the journey is the travelling and the trip includes the whole outing. Americans usually say trip for both.
What is a journeyman?
A worker who has completed an apprenticeship and is qualified, though not yet a master. The name refers to daily pay, not travel.