sojourner

the word 'sojourner' traces its lineage to the old french verb sojourner, which meant to stay or dwell temporarily. this verb was formed from the vulgar latin subdiurnāre, a compound of the latin prefix sub-, here carrying the sense of 'during', and diurnum, meaning 'day', thus literally conveying the idea of 'spending a day' or a period of time. the agent suffix -er, of old english and germanic origin, was later appended to create the noun denoting the person who undertakes such a temporary stay. consequently, a sojourner is etymologically one who dwells beneath or within the span of days, not permanently, but for a defined period.

Structure: sojourn + er sojourn (from old french sojourner, meaning 'to stay for a time', itself from vulgar latin subdiurnāre, from latin sub- 'under, during' + late latin diurnum 'day'); er (agent noun suffix from old english -ere, of germanic origin, indicating 'a person who does or is associated with something').