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Added 9 October 2026

expatriate

/ɛksˈpætɹi.ɪt/ noun

Latin root: expatriātus First recorded: 1787 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about expatriate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person who is voluntarily absent from home or country.
American expatriates

verb

Expel from a country.
The poet was exiled because he signed a letter protesting the government's actions
Move away from one's native country and adopt a new residence abroad.

Origin

The verb is first attested in 1787, the adjective and noun in 1812; borrowed from Medieval Latin expatriātus, perfect passive participle of expatriō (“to banish”) (see -ate (etymology 1,2 and 3)), from Latin ex- (“out of”) + patria (“native land”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); possibly after French expatrier and expatrié.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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