diaspora

noun

di·​as·​po·​ra dī-ˈa-sp(ə-)rə How to pronounce diaspora (audio)
dē-
plural diasporas
Synonyms of diasporanext
1
often Diaspora plural Diasporas Judaism
a
: the Jews living outside Israel
… contributions made by the Diaspora to Israel's well-being …—Idan Roll
He is currently writing a series about the multi-generational Jewish Diaspora …—Bridget Arsenault
b
: the settling of scattered communities of Jews outside ancient Palestine after the Babylonian exile
Sephardi Jews began their diaspora into lands including North Africa and Anatolia in the late 15th century …—Brendan Lavell
c
: the area outside ancient Palestine settled by Jews
The history of the Jewish people has been precisely a journey … out of ancient Babylon to the promised land, into the Diaspora, and then a sojourning in nearly all the lands of the world's nations …—Sharon L. Coggan
2
or less commonly Diaspora
a
: people settled far from their ancestral homelands
members of the African diaspora
The Government said the aim of the trips is to "connect with Irish communities overseas and emphasise the importance of our Diaspora".—Jennifer Bray
b
: the places where people settled and established communities far from their ancestral homelands
The festival features 12 films from across the Caribbean and its diasporas: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Martinique, the UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Bahamas …—Daily News (New York)
c
: the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland
the Black diaspora from the rural South to northern cities
3
: the fact or condition of being a member of a diaspora
But centuries of migration for many mean many live in diaspora, and not always—Jew or not—experiencing diaspora as exile.—Melanie Kaye
Written from her point of view as an Arab in diaspora, [Reem] Assil takes readers on a journey through her Palestinian and Syrian roots, showing how her heritage has inspired her recipes …—Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
diasporic
ˌdī-ə-ˈspȯr-ik How to pronounce diaspora (audio)
adjective
Unlike in India where festivities are public and widespread, diasporic celebrations are more regulated to specific spaces and times. —Rina Arya

Did you know?

The Beginnings of the Word Diaspora

Until recently diaspora was thought to be a fairly new word in English to describe a very old thing (its first, and principal, meaning relates to the settling of the Jewish people outside of Palestine after the Babylonian exile thousands of years ago). However, recent research has found that the word is quite a bit older than previously thought. It can be found as far back as 1594, in a translation of Lambert Daneau’s A Fruitfull Commentarie vpon the Twelue Small Prophets: “This scattering abrode of the Iewes, as it were an heauenly sowing, fell out after their returne from the captiuitie of Babylon … they are called Diaspora, that is, a scattering or sowing abrode.” Diaspora is descended from the Greek word diaspeirein, meaning “to scatter, spread about.”

Examples of diaspora in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Representatives from African countries including Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Angola are set to attend alongside executives from throughout the African diaspora and reps from investment bodies including Afreximbank and IFC. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2024 The demand for African original content has been on the rise, driven by a growing middle class and a surge in streaming households on the continent and interest abroad from members of the African diaspora and beyond. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024 Its paintings, sculpture, video, and installations focus on African culture and diaspora. —Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2024 About 200,000 South Koreans have been adopted in the United States, Europe and Australia in the last six decades, creating what’s believed to be the world’s largest diaspora of adoptees. —Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for diaspora 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diaspora.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek, dispersion, from diaspeirein to scatter, from dia- + speirein to sow

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of diaspora was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near diaspora

diaspine

diaspora

diaspore

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Diaspora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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