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Peregrine
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Peregrine

They call me a wanderer

peregrine — an adjective meaning that you have a tendency to wander

peregrino — the masculine Spanish cognate noun that translates to “pilgrim”

peregrina — the feminine Spanish cognate noun that also translates to “pilgrim”

As you can see, we don’t use the word “peregrine” in English to mean “pilgrim,” which is what it means in Spanish, so on the surface it may not appear to be a cognate, but hopefully you can see a connection between the two words. If you can’t, here is what is found on merriam-webster.com:

The current meaning of peregrine has wandered a bit from its earlier meanings. The word originally meant "foreign," as did its Latin predecessor peregrinus. But even before peregrine appeared on its own in English, it was part of the name of that well-known bird of prey, the peregrine falcon. The bird's appellation derives from "falco peregrinus"—literally, "pilgrim falcon" in Medieval Latin. Peregrine falcons typically nest in high places, such as on cliff ledges or, in modern times, city skyscrapers. Because of the nests' inaccessibility, medieval falconers who wanted young peregrine falcons to train had to capture them on their first flights or migratory "pilgrimages." That practice led to a new sense of "peregrine" ("engaged in or traveling on a pilgrimage"), which was later broadened to "wandering."

brown and white bird in close up photography
Photo by Delaney Van on Unsplash

I wanted to share this cognate duo this month, though, because right now all across northern Spain, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of “peregrinos” walking the Camino de Santiago in the hopes of arriving in Santiago de Compostela by July 25th for the festival in honor of Saint James that takes place there each year. While I don’t necessarily want to be a part of this huge event, I would like to walk a portion of the long pilgrim route from France to western Spain.

I’d say that most English-speaking people here in the U.S. only know the word “peregrine” in association with the falcon, but knowing WHY it is called a “peregrine” falcon instead of just a falcon can lead to an easy understanding of the word “peregrine” and its actual meaning, and that, in turn, can help you remember that the word “peregrino” in Spanish refers to a “pilgrim.” A “pilgrim” is a person who journeys in foreign lands, or a wayfarer. If you look up “wayfarer,” you’ll see that it means a person who travels by foot, and I’ve found that most people who travel by foot tend to wander quite a bit.

My father loves to wander. He is a “peregrine” traveler, and I’ve inherited his love of that. I like to wander around new places and simply see what I stumble upon. Due to my dad’s “peregrine” nature, we sometimes sing a portion of the song “The Wanderer” by Dion DiMucci — not because he’s kissing all the girls, but rather because he’s always off wandering around. Have a listen below if you don’t know the song or if you haven’t heard it in a long time.

The Wanderer song

Whether you roam from town to town or up and down the aisles of a store, if you’re doing that, you are behaving in a “peregrine” fashion. Hopefully, you now know that the word “peregrine” doesn’t only have to refer to a type of falcon and the word “peregrino” is what you use in Spanish to refer to a “pilgrim.” Thus a “pilgrimage” in Spanish is “peregrinaje.”

Until next time. Please share this with anyone who might enjoy learning about words. Thanks.

Tammy Marshall

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Knowing cognates can strengthen your vocabulary skills.
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