diaspora

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

noun

1. Usually Diaspora. the scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity.
2. Often Diaspora.
   1. the body of Jews living in countries outside Israel.
   2. such countries collectively:

      the return of the Jews from 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 Words From

• di·as·po·ric [dahy-, uh, -, spawr, -ik, ‑-, spor, -ik], 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

Humans could jump-start a diaspora whereby ever-more complex intelligence spreads through the galaxy, transcending our limitations.

From Nautilus

To add to the appeal, you can even pay for a loved one’s appointment remotely if you live in the diaspora.

From Ozy

The very essence of the collection speaks to Blackness all over the diaspora.

From Essence.com

The Herald Angels Sing, and I believe that holiday cheer is a part of the diaspora, as well as other places around the world.

From Essence.com

There’s also Ashley Alexis McFarlane, who bills her signature jewelry line, Omi Woods, as “contemporary heirlooms that celebrate our connection to Africa and her diaspora.”

From TruthBeTold.news

Most coup members “lived in the diaspora in the United States and Germany,” Faal said.

From The Daily Beast

The answer is left unclear, but Diaspora is certainly intended to be profitable.

From The Daily Beast

“The general mindset in Israel regarding its responsibility towards the diaspora is based on three principles,” Yadlin said.

From The Daily Beast

But in the case of Israel, it has a special obligation to protect the Jewish diaspora.

From The Daily Beast

Evans, 85, thinks of himself as part of a British media “diaspora” which is currently in its third wave.

From The Daily Beast

The same aloofness characterizes the Jews of the rest of the eighteenth century diaspora.

From Project Gutenberg

Scattered through the world there will be Americans, participants in a bitter diaspora.

From Project Gutenberg

These lands of Jewish settlement outside of Palestine are called the Diaspora.

From Project Gutenberg

Let us remember this in his favor; also that he used his power to secure protection for Jews in the Diaspora.

From Project Gutenberg

All the Jews of the Diaspora now seized the occasion to throw off the hated Roman yoke.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• exodus