Returnee
/rɪˌtɜːrˈniː/noun
A person who returns, especially to a country or place after living elsewhere.
Did you know?The suffix “-ee” came into English through French and often marks the person receiving an action, as in employee, interviewee, and returnee.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*terh₂-
“To cross, pass through, or turn; the reconstructed root underlying several later words connected with movement and turning.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
tórnos
“A lathe or compass, an instrument associated with turning in a circle.”
Classical Latin
Latin
tornāre
“To turn on a lathe or shape by turning; later, to turn around or move back through Romance development.”
12th Century
Old French
retorner
“To turn back or go back, formed from re- (“again/back”) plus tourner (“to turn”).”
13th Century
Middle English
returnen
“To come or go back; borrowed from Old French and ultimately from Latin.”
17th Century
English
returnee
“A person who returns; formed with return plus the French-derived suffix -ee.”
Modern English
English
returnee
“A person who has returned, commonly used for migrants, refugees, students, soldiers, or expatriates coming back.”