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peregrinus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word peregrinus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (ager)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [pɛ.rɛˈɡriː.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pe.reˈɡriː.nus][1]

Forms

peregrīnus (feminine peregrīna, neuter peregrīnum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from peregrē “abroad”, from per (“through, beyond”) and ager “field, land”, with the suffix -īnus: one from beyond the territory.[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of foreign persons and things.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it meant foreign, alien, as Plautus' peregrīnus homō and his foreign ship, of plants exotic, and of things of foreign origin or outlandish character.[2][4][6] It meant situated or occurring abroad, as Cicero's death abroad, concerned with foreigners, and in law alien, not Roman; the praetor peregrīnus judged cases involving foreigners.[2][6] Varro defines ager peregrīnus.[2] As a noun it meant a foreigner, and a free man under Roman rule without citizenship.[2] Döderlein says exterus is one dwelling in a foreign land, peregrīnus one sojourning in a land not his own.[7]

In Christian and Medieval Latin it meant a stranger, wanderer, pilgrim, one banished as a penance, and of a pilgrim.[8][9][10] It survives in Italian pellegrino and French pèlerin.[1] English pilgrim came about 1200 through Old French, and English peregrine from Medieval Latin falcō peregrīnus “pilgrim falcon”.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of foreigners and foreign things.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of death abroad.[6][5]
  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it.[5]
  • c. 1200 – English pilgrim is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Foreign, alien; exotic.[2]
  2. Situated or occurring abroad.[2]
  3. (law) Concerned with aliens.[2]

Noun

  1. A foreigner; a free non-citizen.[2]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A pilgrim.[9][8]

Word family

  • comperegrinus
  • peregrīnor
  • peregrīna
  • peregrīnitās

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Peregrinus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/peregrinus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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