the.com/wanderlust
a German loanword for the itch that no map ever fully scratches.
means A strong, restless desire to travel and explore the world.
from A direct lift from German, stitching together wandern, "to hike or roam," and Lust, "desire or pleasure" — so literally a "joy of wandering." English borrowed it whole in the early 20th century, keeping the German spelling intact, as if to admit no native word could carry the same itch.
- literal meaning
- German for desire to hike or wander
- newer rival
- Fernweh means farsickness, the ache for elsewhere
- possible gene
- DRD4-7R variant linked to restless novelty-seeking
- first English use
- borrowed into English around 1902
- opposite
- heimweh, the German word for homesickness
for instance
paul theroux's travels — american author rode trains across 4 continents documenting journeys since the 1970s