Diaspora
[dahy-AS-pər-ə]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, 17th century
1.
The dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.
2.
People who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland.
Examples of Diaspora in a sentence
"The largest population center for the Jewish diaspora is the United States, which has a larger Jewish population than Israel."
"The Irish diaspora didn’t exist until the 19th century, when Irish people fled famine to begin new lives in the United States, Canada, and Australia."
About Diaspora
“Diaspora” is based on the ancient Greek “διασπορᾱ́” (“diasporā́"), meaning “scattering.”
Did you Know?
The term “diaspora” now commonly refers to populations of people scattered outside their place of origin, but it is most closely associated with the Jewish people. It began with the exile of the Judahites from the Kingdom of Judah in the sixth century BCE. Only after their exile, when they existed as a diaspora, did Judahites become known as “Jews.” Diasporas can be created by a variety of conditions that either drive people from, or entice them away from, their homes. The Jewish diaspora is also a good example of how widely a diaspora may be scattered geographically. Even though the state of Israel is considered to be the Jewish homeland, nearly twice as many Jews live in the United States, while the Jewish diaspora stretches all over the world.
