hegira

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The Word of the Day for June 18 is:

hegira   \hih-JYE-ruh\   noun
     : a journey especially when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or 
undesirable situation : exodus

Example sentence:
     To escape the lowering clouds of impending war, Grandmother's family 
embarked on a hegira that would carry them far from their native soil.

Did you know? 
     "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." By the year 
A.D. 622, the prophet Muhammad had learned that painful lesson. In that year, 
he was forced to flee his native city, Mecca, to escape persecution from those 
who rejected his message. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, with a number of his 
followers migrated to Medina, where they were guaranteed protection by local 
clans. This event, which traditionally marks the beginning of the Islamic era, 
is known in Arabic as the "Hijra" -- literally, "departure." That Arabic term 
passed into Medieval Latin (where it was modified to "Hegira") and from there 
it eventually made its way into English. By the mid 18th century, English 
speakers were using "hegira" for other journeys, too -- especially arduous ones.