emigre

Definitions

Borrowed straight from French émigré (the past participle of émigrer, 'to emigrate'), so it carries the same e- (out) + migr (move) skeleton — but the French form gives it a specific flavour: someone who has fled their homeland, typically for political reasons (the term first described nobles fleeing the French Revolution).

Why It Means This

Unlike the neutral emigrant, émigré keeps its French dress (often spelled with accents: émigré) and a political tint. It implies exile or flight rather than a planned move for work or a better life. White Russian émigrés after 1917, or émigrés from revolutionary France, are typical uses.

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The novel follows a Russian émigré living in 1920s Paris.

• 2.

  Many émigrés never gave up hope of returning home.