Meaning & use
Medjugorje
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A village in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina that is a well-known destination for Catholic pilgrims.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: pilgrims travel to Medjugorje, not to the Medjugorje.
Patterns
- travel to Medjugorje
- a pilgrimage to Medjugorje
- visit Medjugorje
Thousands of pilgrims travel to Medjugorje every summer.
Our parish organized a pilgrimage to Medjugorje last October.
She wrote a book about her visit to Medjugorje as a teenager.
proper nounproperreligion
A place associated with reported appearances of the Virgin Mary, which many Catholics treat as a holy site.
Grammar: Often followed by a phrase such as 'in Bosnia and Herzegovina' or 'in the 1980s' to give context.
Patterns
- the Medjugorje phenomenon
- reported visions at Medjugorje
- the shrine at Medjugorje
Reports of visions at Medjugorje began in the early 1980s.
The church has examined the claims connected with Medjugorje very carefully.
Some Catholics are deeply moved by the shrine at Medjugorje; others remain cautious.
Common combinations
- a pilgrimage to Medjugorje
- Her grandmother saved for years to make a pilgrimage to Medjugorje.
- the shrine at Medjugorje
- The shrine at Medjugorje draws visitors from many countries.
- reported visions at Medjugorje
- The priest spoke calmly about the reported visions at Medjugorje.
- travel to Medjugorje
- They plan to travel to Medjugorje with a church group in spring.
- the Medjugorje phenomenon
- Scholars have written about the Medjugorje phenomenon from several angles.
Commonly confused: Medjugorje or Mediterranean?
Medjugorje vs Mediterranean
This word also begins with Med- and refers to the sea and region between Europe and Africa; it has nothing to do with the Bosnian village.
Practice
Which sentence uses the name correctly?
Choose one answer.
Medjugorje is a proper noun, so it normally takes no article and no plural: 'to Medjugorje' is correct. 'The Medjugorje' wrongly adds a definite article, and 'a Medjugorje' or 'Medjugorjes' treats the name as a countable common noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Medjugorje”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.