The Biblical book of Exodus describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, so it's no surprise that the word has come to refer more generally to any mass departure. The word itself was adopted into English (via Latin) from Greek Exodos, which literally means "the road out." The Greek word was formed by combining the prefix ex- (meaning "out of") and hodos, "road" or "way." Other descendants of the prolific hodos in English include episode, method, odometer, and period. There are also several scientific words that can be traced back to hodos. Anode, and cathode can refer, respectively, to the positive and negative electrodes of a diode, and hodoscope refers to an instrument for tracing the paths of ionizing particles.
the mass exodus from the cities for the beaches and the mountains on most summer weekends
Recent Examples on the WebThat mirrors a national exodus of college presidents, with many citing the strains of leading their institutions through the pandemic. Alexander Thompson, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 Migration starts slowly, but the exodus to towns and cities soon swells, and as temperatures rise, so do tensions. Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 The exodus has continued to today; at least two of the football players’ families left the faith this year, the team’s coach said. Courtney Tanner, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 The exodus began when Sarkisian was hired following the 2020 Rose Bowl semifinal (played in Arlington, Texas). Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 4 Sep. 2022 So far those efforts have not been enough to reverse the exodus of salmon permits from the region. Loren Holmes, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2022 Three simple changes can help prevent this exodus — and save Medicare money. Andrew Wickline, STAT, 27 Aug. 2022 Today’s exodus is facilitated by Cuba’s close ally Nicaragua, which in November dropped visa requirements for Cubans to fly to the capital Managua.WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 The passenger exodus has become so significant that both US carriers have had to cancel several U.S.-Asia routes. Steven Tian, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin, from Greek Exodos, literally, road out, from ex- + hodos road
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of exodus was before the 12th century