Diaspora

//daɪˈæs.pə.ɹə// name, noun, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The dispersion of the Jews from the land of Israel.

    "According to the still common Israeli definition of a Zionist as one who views the Diaspora negatively and considers the settlement of Jews in Israel as essential, the vast majority of American Jews would not be considered Zionists."

  2. 2
    The Jews so dispersed. collective
  3. 3
    A similar dispersion. broadly
Noun
  1. 1
    The dispersion of a group in a manner comparable to that of the Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian captivity (6th century BCE). collective

    "The African diaspora caused a melding of cultures, both African cultures and Western ones, in many places."

  2. 2
    the dispersion or spreading of something that was originally localized (as a people or language or culture) wordnet
  3. 3
    Jews outside of the land of Israel. broadly, informal
  4. 4
    the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel; from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time wordnet
  5. 5
    The regions where such a dispersed group (especially the Jews) resides, taken collectively.

    "Jews in the diaspora often have a different perspective on anti-Semitism than Israeli Jews."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    the body of Jews (or Jewish communities) outside Palestine or modern Israel wordnet
  2. 7
    Any dispersion of an originally homogeneous entity, such as a language or culture.

    "Small wonder that there should have been in recent years fresh talk of the diaspora of English into several mutually incomprehensible languages"

Etymology

Etymology 1

See diaspora.

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek διασπορᾱ́ (diasporā́, “dispersion”), from διασπείρω (diaspeírō, “to scatter”), from δια- (dia-, prefix indicating motion across or in all directions) + σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: diaspora