I just noticed Robert's "Expat's Sticky" (a good idea BTW) and this got me thinking about definitions. This may sound rather silly but, I honestly would like the opinions of others. Below I summarize the entries from my buddy Merriam-Webster online:
im?mi?grant
one that immigrates : as a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence
ex?pa?tri?ate
Etymology: Medieval Latin expatriatus, past participle of expatriare to leave one's own country, from Latin ex- + patria native country, from feminine of patrius of a father, from patr-, pater father -- more at FATHER
transitive senses
1 : to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country
So, both designate a person who moved from their country of origin to another. Right? Even with the caveat that the 'permanent' in the 1st definition may end up being a tecnical differentiator for the two terms;
why is it that everyone knows that colloquially we mean expat for someone from a rich nation (even if moving to an ever wealthier country), and immigrant as someone leaving a poor country (even if moving to a poorer part of the world)???
-Tordok
( I apologize beforehand to the DR1 elders if by any chance this topic has been previously discussed).
im?mi?grant
one that immigrates : as a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence
ex?pa?tri?ate
Etymology: Medieval Latin expatriatus, past participle of expatriare to leave one's own country, from Latin ex- + patria native country, from feminine of patrius of a father, from patr-, pater father -- more at FATHER
transitive senses
1 : to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country
So, both designate a person who moved from their country of origin to another. Right? Even with the caveat that the 'permanent' in the 1st definition may end up being a tecnical differentiator for the two terms;
why is it that everyone knows that colloquially we mean expat for someone from a rich nation (even if moving to an ever wealthier country), and immigrant as someone leaving a poor country (even if moving to a poorer part of the world)???
-Tordok
( I apologize beforehand to the DR1 elders if by any chance this topic has been previously discussed).