What does sojourn mean?
Word: Sojourn
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sojourn means a short stay in a place that is not your home.
Synonyms: stay, stopover
Word origin: From Old French sojorner, built on Latin sub and diurnum.
How do you spell sojourn?
Syllables: so - journ
Tricky part: The end is the trap. Students write sojurn, leaving out the o of the our spelling.
Watch out for: sojurn, sojern, sojourne
Memory tip: A traveller on a sojourn often keeps a journal, and the two words share the same jour.
Sojourn in a sentence
Example 1: Their sojourn in Shimla lasted only a weekend.
Example 2: The writer's two-month sojourn in Goa inspired her new novel.
Example 3: A brief sojourn by the sea gave Grandpa fresh energy.
Fun Fact
NASA's first Mars rover, which landed in 1997, was called Sojourner, after the campaigner Sojourner Truth. A sojourner is someone who stays in a place for a short time.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
During our soujourn in Darjeeling we rode the toy train and tried a new momo stall every evening.
a) only evening
b) only soujourn
c) train and stall
d) soujourn and stall
Show answer
b) only soujourn. No u belongs after the opening so; the rest of the sentence is fine.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
The Latin word diurnum helped to form sojourn. What does diurnum mean?
a) a day
b) a friend
c) a road
d) a house
Show answer
a) a day. A stay of this kind is counted in days.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. sojourn 2. expedition 3. commute a. time spent as a visitor in some distant place b. a regular trip to and from work c. an organised trip with a special aim
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. An expedition has a goal, such as reaching a summit, and a commute is the daily run to the office.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
After a three-day ____ in Munnar, the family drove back to Kochi.
a) solstice
b) solace
c) souvenir
d) sojourn
Show answer
d) sojourn. A family can stay in a town for a while, which is what this word names.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A sojourn is different from moving house because a sojourn ____.
a) ends after a while
b) happens only abroad
c) needs a removal van
d) is always by the sea
Show answer
a) ends after a while
2. A diary entry describes a sojourn. Which one is it?
a) We spent one week at my aunt's farm in Coorg.
b) We have lived in this flat for twelve years.
c) We walked to the shop to buy some milk.
d) We waited ten minutes at the bus stop.
Show answer
a) We spent one week at my aunt's farm in Coorg.
