diaspora

[dahy-as-per-uh, dee-]

noun

1. Usually Diaspora the scattering of the Jews to countries outside of ancient Palestine after the Babylonian captivity.

2. Often Diaspora

   1. the body of Jews living in countries outside Israel.

   2. such countries collectively.

      Passover is celebrated for seven days in Israel, but for eight days by Jews living in the Diaspora.

3. Often Diaspora any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland, especially involuntarily, as Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

4. any group migration or flight from a country or region.

   Synonyms: scattering, displacement, migration, dissemination, dispersion
   Antonyms: return

5. any religious group living as a minority among people of the prevailing religion.

6. the spread or dissemination of something originally confined to a local, homogeneous group, as a language or cultural institution.

   the diaspora of English as a global language.

Diaspora

/ daɪˈæspərə /

noun

1. 1. the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian and Roman conquests of Palestine

   2. the Jewish communities outside Israel

   3. the Jews living outside Israel

   4. the extent of Jewish settlement outside Israel

2. (in the New Testament) the body of Christians living outside Palestine

3. (often not capital) a dispersion or spreading, as of people originally belonging to one nation or having a common culture

4. the descendants of Sub-Saharan African peoples living anywhere in the Western hemisphere

Other Word Forms

• diasporic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diaspora¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Greek diasporá “scattering, dispersion”; dia-, spore

Word History and Origins

Origin of diaspora¹

C19: from Greek: a scattering, from diaspeirein to disperse, from _dia- + speirein to scatter, sow; see _spore

Example Sentences

The Somali diaspora, however, is still providing vital cash flow.

Read more on Barron's

"When you trawl Chinese diaspora sites in Cambodia, where the wisdom of relocating to Palau is sometimes debated, the criminals themselves are drawn by the lack of PRC diplomatic presence there," said ANU's Graeme Smith.

Read more on BBC

"The very existence of a diaspora is a clear signal to the entire world that something is wrong in Chechnya. It's a matter of personal pride and political image," Mr Dennis told the BBC.

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The move hits at the heart of Minnesota’s Somali-American community, one of the largest Somali diasporas in the country.

Read more on Salon

The L.A. diaspora is relatively small compared with other Asian American and Pacific Islander communities living in the county.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• exodus