diaspora

noun

di·​as·​po·​ra dī-ˈa-sp(ə-)rə 

dē-

1

capitalized, Judaism

a

: the Jews living outside Israel

members of the Diaspora

b

: the settling of scattered communities of Jews outside ancient Palestine after the Babylonian exile

c

: the area outside ancient Palestine settled by Jews

2

a

: people settled far from their ancestral homelands

members of the African diaspora

b

: the place where these people live

c

: the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland

the Black diaspora to northern cities

diasporic

ˌdī-ə-ˈspȯr-ik 

adjective

Did you know?

The Beginnings of the Word Diaspora

Until recently diaspora was thought to be a fairly new word in English to describe a very old thing (its first, and principal, meaning relates to the settling of the Jewish people outside of Palestine after the Babylonian exile thousands of years ago). However, recent research has found that the word is quite a bit older than previously thought. It can be found as far back as 1594, in a translation of Lambert Daneau’s A Fruitfull Commentarie vpon the Twelue Small Prophets: “This scattering abrode of the Iewes, as it were an heauenly sowing, fell out after their returne from the captiuitie of Babylon … they are called Diaspora, that is, a scattering or sowing abrode.” Diaspora is descended from the Greek word diaspeirein, meaning “to scatter, spread about.”

Examples of diaspora in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Friend, a magazine that explores Africa and the African diaspora through contemporary art, fashion and theory, has been unveiled. —Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 22 July 2024

And the people and history of the Armenian diaspora come alive in its pages. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024

The three-day celebration highlighting the beauty, strength and spirit of the African diaspora is expected to draw about 20,000 attendees both locally and internationally to enjoy performances, vendors, food, clothing, health products, visual arts, live demonstrations, community resources and more. —Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2024

Now a fresh generation of chefs is establishing a modern Guatemalan cuisine by extolling native techniques and elevating humble home cooking while incorporating the flavors of various diasporas. —Paula Móvil, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek, dispersion, from diaspeirein to scatter, from dia- + speirein to sow

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1b