Expat, an abbreviation of expatriate, is defined as a person who is living in a country other than that of a person’s upbringing. This term can be used for temporary or permanent residents and comes from the Latin words ex (out of), and patria (fatherland/country.)
The official definition of ‘immigrant’ isn’t too different. It is defined as a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. The word also comes from Latin where migrare means to migrate, or to move from one locality to another.
Right under Google’s definition of the words, we see the first discrepancy. The example of the word in use under expat is “a British expat who’s been living in Amsterdam for 14 years”.
The example for immigrants is “they found it difficult to expel illegal immigrants”.
Originally published on Youth Time Magazine. Read it here.
