WORD OF THE WEEK: Diaspora

This morning, during a long commute, a listened to an NPR (National Public Radio) interview with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart. In it, he used a word I've heard many times, but don't know by definition. So, of course, I just had to use it for this week's WOW Word of the Week.

Diaspora (DI - ASS - spohr - uh) - (n.) From the same Greek word that fathered dispersion, this word means scattered, as in people who are scattered far from their homeland. It can also mean the place where these people live, as well as the act of their migration. When capitalized, it refers specifically to Israel, the Jewish community of people who dwell in Israel, or the settling of their colonies their just after the Babylonian exile. The first known use of this word in English (according to our good friend, Merriam-Webster.com) was in 1881.

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