noun
also he·ji·ra hə̇ˈjīrə, ˈhej(ə)rə
( -s )
Etymology: from the Hegira, Hejira, the flight of Muhammad from Mecca in A.D. 622, from Medieval Latin hegira, from Arabic hijrah, literally, flight
1. usually capitalized : the Muslim era
2. : a journey or trip especially when undertaken as a means of escaping from an undesirable or dangerous environment or as a means of arriving at a highly desirable destination
the people wandered away on long hegiras seeking new homesites near water — Frank Waters
specifically : a departure or flight made under such circumstances
planning a hegira from the city to the cool peace of the mountains
3. : emigration
the hegira of many of the literati to Europe — C.I.Glicksberg
especially : a mass exodus
the hegira of farmers looking for new, cheap, fertile land — R.E.Riegel & G.D.Harmon