diaspora
noun
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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
Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2024
In 1899, Japanese agricultural farmers aboard the Sakura Maru ship arrived in Peru — the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations in Asia — giving birth to an entirely unique diaspora.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2024
Image While many in the diaspora have thrown themselves into campaigning, others have taken a more hands-off approach.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 30 May 2024
The airport greeting was an emotional conduit for Colorado’s contingent of the Palestinian diaspora, who’ve watched for months as death and horror has mounted in Gaza.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for diaspora 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diaspora.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Diaspora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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