Ghettoizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of forcing a population into a confined area, hindering their access to resources and societal integration
2. The act of relegating a specific group to a certain environment, which inhibits their opportunities and interactions with others
3. The practice of isolating a group within a restricted area, resulting in limited access to resources and social integration opportunities

Etymology: Ghetto itself is the older word, and its story begins in Venice in 1516, when the city's authorities ordered Jews to live on a small island where an old foundry, or "geto," had stood. Some accounts link the name to that Venetian word for foundry, though the exact origin of "geto" remains uncertain. The place was walled and gated, and its residents were locked in at night, so the name came to stand for any enclosed district where a minority was confined. English borrowed "ghetto" in the early 1600s, at first for the Venetian quarter itself. "Ghettoizing" is simply "ghettoize" plus the verb-forming ending "-ing." The verb "ghettoize" was formed in English in the early 20th century by adding the suffix "-ize" to the noun, and it took on the sense of forcibly confining a group to a segregated area. The meaning you give, isolating a group and limiting its access to resources and social integration, follows directly from that original image of a walled-off quarter.

Synonyms: segregating, isolating

Antonyms: integrating, unifying