noun / proper noun
diaspora
dy-AS-per-uh/daɪˈæspərə/
The dispersal of a people beyond their original homeland.
The museum traces the diaspora of families from their island homeland.
Etymology
The pieces evoke a scattering abroad, with the same Greek root used for sowing. Applied to people, this scattering describes a population dispersed from its ancestral homeland.
In context
They were Jews who were in the diaspora. They were scattered Jews. They came to Jerusalem.
More examples
- The documentary explains how famine accelerated the Irish diaspora.
- Our class studies the causes of the African diaspora.
- War and persecution have driven many diasporas throughout history.
Forms
diaspora · diasporas
diasporic adjective — Relating to dispersal beyond a homeland.
Similar words
- dispersal
- Describes any scattering, not specifically people leaving a homeland.
- migration
- Emphasizes movement between places rather than scattering from a homeland.