Expats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals living outside their homeland, often due to job assignments or lifestyle preferences
2. People who have moved away from their native country, commonly for career advancement or personal pursuits
3. Persons residing in a foreign country away from their place of birth, usually for work or personal reasons

Etymology: "Expats" is the plural of "expat," which is a clipping of "expatriate." The longer form comes from Medieval Latin "expatriatus," built from Latin "ex," meaning "out of," and "patria," meaning "fatherland" or "native country." An expatriate is, literally, someone who has been moved out of their homeland. The shortened form is the one that has taken over in everyday speech. Clipping a long word into a quick, casual version is a common pattern in English, and "expat" now sounds more informal and less formal than its parent. The plural "expats" simply adds the usual -s, so it refers to a group of people living outside their home country.

Synonyms: expatriates, migrants, emigrants