emigration
UK[ˌemɪˈɡreɪʃən]US[ˌemɪˈɡreɪʃən]
n
The act of leaving one's own country to settle permanently in another.
n
The group of people who emigrate from a country during a specific period.
Morpheme Breakdown
e
migr
ation
e
out
migr
move, wander
ation
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'emigration' is built upon the Latin verb migrare, meaning "to move from one place to another". The prefix e- (a variant of ex-) adds the specific directional sense of "out, away", thus forming the compound emigrare, "to move out, to depart". This Latin term was adopted into English in the 17th century, with the suffix -ation appended to nominalize the action. The core logic of the word has remained remarkably consistent from its Latin origins: it describes the process of moving out from a homeland, a concept that has gained profound social and political significance in the modern era of nation-states and global mobility.
Analysis
Structure: e (out) + migr (move, wander) + ation (noun suffix)
e: A Latin prefix meaning "out of, away from".
migr: A Latin root from the verb migrare, meaning "to move, to wander, to change one's place of residence".
ation: A noun-forming suffix of Latin origin, indicating an action or process, or the result of an action.
Examples
The great famine caused a massive emigration from Ireland in the 1840s.
His emigration to Canada was motivated by better job prospects.
The government's new policy aims to stem the emigration of skilled workers.