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

Artists in “Imagining Black Diasporas” gathered for a special photograph, which will live on in the archives.

From Los Angeles Times

This special group portrait in commemoration of LACMA’s momentous exhibition “Imagining Black Diasporas” will be printed in Image’s forthcoming April issue.

From Los Angeles Times

The charity offers training to musicians who can't afford private tuition, with a special focus on "those with a background from the African Diaspora and girls, who are often under-represented in the music industry".

From BBC

Her ongoing series, “Diaspora Dialogues,” has consistently used fashion as a medium to explore these topics — as has much of Herrera’s work; she went to fashion school and started her career in the fashion industry.

From Los Angeles Times

Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs organized and paid for a digital campaign to influence U.S. lawmakers, especially Democrats who are Black, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

From Salon

Related Words

• exodus