Diaspora
/daɪˈæspərə/noun
The dispersion of a people from their original homeland, especially the Jewish people living outside Israel.
Did you know?In the Greek Septuagint, diaspora became associated especially with Jewish communities living outside their ancestral homeland, giving the word its enduring historical force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sper-
“To sow or scatter seed”
Ancient Greek
Greek
speírō (σπείρω)
“To sow, scatter, or plant”
Ancient Greek
Greek
diaspeírō (διασπείρω)
“To scatter abroad or disperse”
Ancient Greek
Greek
diasporá (διασπορά)
“A scattering or dispersion”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Koine Greek
diaspora
“A dispersed population; used in Greek Jewish scripture for communities outside the homeland”
19th Century
English
diaspora
“The dispersion of the Jewish people outside Israel”
Modern English
English
diaspora
“Any dispersed national, ethnic, or cultural community”