excursion

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A usually short journey made for pleasure; an outing.
2. n. A roundtrip on a passenger vehicle at a special low fare.
3. n. A group taking a short pleasure trip together.
4. n. A diversion or deviation from a main topic; a digression.
5. n. Physics A movement from and back to a mean position or axis in an oscillating or alternating motion.
6. n. Physics The distance traversed in such a movement.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of running out or forth; hence, deviation from a fixed or usual course; a passing or advancing beyond fixed or usual limits.
2. n. Digression; deviation; a wandering from a subject or main design; an excursus.
3. n. A journey; specifically, a short journey, jaunt, or trip to some point for a special purpose, with the intention of speedy return: as, a pleasure excursion; a scientific excursion.
4. n. A company traveling together for a special purpose; a joint expedition, especially a holiday expedition.
5. n. In physics, a movement of a moving or vibrating body from a mean position: as, the excursion of a planet from the ecliptic, of a satellite from the apparent position of its primary, or of the prong of a tuning-fork.
6. n. In machinery, the range of stroke of any moving part; the travel: as, the excursion of a pistonrod.
7. n. 7. A projecting addition to a building.
8. To make an excursion.

Wiktionary

1. n. A brief recreational trip; a journey out of the usual way.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. A running or going out or forth; an expedition; a sally.
2. A journey chiefly for recreation; a pleasure trip; a brief tour.
3. A wandering from a subject; digression.
4. (Mach.) Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [An awkward use of the word.]

WordNet 3.0

1. n. wandering from the main path of a journey
2. n. a journey taken for pleasure