What does journeying mean?
Journeying is the present participle of journey and may also be treated as a noun meaning the act of traveling from one place to another. In phrases such as “journeying people” or “journeying merchants,” it describes people whose activities involve travel, often repeatedly or over long distances. As a noun, journeying is literary and comparatively uncommon; people normally speak of traveling, making a journey, or going on a journey. The word has a traditional, slightly romantic sound because it recalls journeys undertaken for adventure, discovery, trade, or pilgrimage rather than merely everyday movement. Its historical sense was closely connected with a day’s travel, although modern usage can refer to journeys of any length. For precise writing, journey is generally preferred when a destination or a distinct route is implied, while travel is the broader and more neutral modern term.
Traveling from one place to another, especially over a considerable distance.
"They spent the summer journeying along the coast."
This is the present participle of journey. The more usual modern verb is traveling or travelling.
The act or process of making a journey.
"The journeying was interrupted by a week of heavy rain."
The noun sense is literary and much less common in everyday speech than travel or journey.
The plural is possible but uncommon, especially in modern usage.
"Their repeated journeyings brought distant communities into contact."
Journey comes from the idea of a day's travel: the word ultimately comes from Latin for “day.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does journeying come from?
Journeying was formed in Middle English by adding the suffix -ing to journey. Journey itself entered Middle English from Old French journee, meaning “a day’s journey” or “day’s work,” and ultimately derives from Latin diurna, an adjective associated with dies, “day.” The same Latin root also underlies cognates such as diurnal and diary, while journal developed through a related Old French word meaning “daily.”
Related word forms
How journeying is actually used
Journeying is somewhat literary or old-fashioned as a standalone form; in everyday modern English, traveling or travelling is more usual. As a participial modifier, it often suggests a person whose life or work involves continual travel.