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.”
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe Indian military attack killed 83 people and enraged Sikh communities in India, Pakistan, and across the diaspora. Siva Vaidhyanathan, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2022 Her research deals with the Haitian Revolution, Haitian independence, and, more broadly, independence across the African diaspora. Marjua Estevez, refinery29.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Fest with an ethos of community and have found Jeff Friday and the ABFF team share our values and our desire to forge links across the African diaspora. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 July 2022 Exhibiting artists across the African diaspora, El Glaoui has been meticulous in making sure that price points are accessible to a variety of art collectors, with starting prices as low as $2000. Grace Banks, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 Thousands of scientists, science reporters, and students in Russia, as well as many more in the Russian diaspora, have signed open letters condemning the conflict.WIRED, 26 Aug. 2022 There are elements that speak to the broader diaspora. Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2022 Many of the attacks originated with HuayiNet, a company with close ties to the Chinese government that provides daily news briefings aimed at the Chinese diaspora. Seth D. Kaplan, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2022 Boston’s first South Asian American Theater Festival makes its debut this weekend with an array of performances that highlight the many unique perspectives of the world’s largest diaspora. Maya Homan, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Greek, dispersion, from diaspeirein to scatter, from dia- + speirein to sow