diaspora

name

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. (collective)The Jews so dispersed.
3. (broadly)A similar dispersion.

noun

1. (collective)The dispersion of a group in a manner comparable to that of the Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian captivity (6th century BCE).

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

   “This scattering abrode of the Iewes, as it were an heauenly sowing, fell out after their returne from the captiuitie of Babylon. Wherevpon both Acts. 2. and also 1. Pet. 1. and 1. Iam. ver. 1. [sic] they are called Diaspora, that is, a scattering or sowing abrode.”

   “We're going to use her to train young people in the skills of maintaining these machines, and encourage the Indian diaspora in this country to get involved in our hobby of steam railways.”

2. (broadly, informal)Jews outside of the land of Israel.
3. 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.”

4. 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”