emigration

[em-i-grey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of emigrating.

2. a body of emigrants; emigrants collectively.

3. Physiology.,  diapedesis.

Other Word Forms

• emigrational adjective
• nonemigration noun
• reemigration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of emigration¹

1640–50; < Late Latin ēmīgrātiōn- (stem of ēmīgrātiō ) removal. See emigrate, -ion

Example Sentences

The minister also repeated his call for Israel to occupy the whole of the Gaza Strip and to encourage what he described as "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from the territory.

From BBC

Famine in the 19th century caused waves of emigration.

From BBC

Promised a future in furniture and a sponsor for emigration, his family became one of the Jewish households to reach India between January 1938 and February 1939.

From BBC

He also vowed to facilitate what he described as the "voluntary emigration" of much of Gaza's population to other countries - a plan many view as forcible expulsion.

From BBC

Her sister recalls that while Politkovskaya considered emigration, she always changed her mind at the last moment.

From BBC

When To Use

What does emigration mean?

Emigration is the act or occurrence of emigrating—permanently leaving home in one country or region to settle in another.A person who is emigrating or has emigrated can be called an emigrant. Less commonly, emigration can also be used to refer to emigrants collectively.What’s the difference between emigration, immigration, and migration?Migration is the act of moving from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). Emigration is moving out, while immigration is moving in. For this reason, the word emigration is commonly followed by from and the home country, whereas immigration is commonly followed by to and the destination country.Of course, emigration and immigration are two ways to describe the same process—people who are emigrating are also immigrating (if they leave, they have to go somewhere).But there are good reasons to use each word in different situations. For example, one country may be a common destination for immigration, while another may experience frequent emigration.The words migration and immigration are more likely to be used to describe such relocation in a general way (that is, a way that takes both the starting point and the destination into account), whereas emigration is almost always about the starting point.Example: The lack of employment has caused emigration to increase significantly, with many highly skilled workers leaving the country.