émigrant

Émigrant (fem. émigrée) is a term used to describe a person who leaves their country of origin to settle in another country. The act of leaving is called émigration, and the counterpart term for entering a country is immigration. In French, émigrant emphasizes departure, whereas immigrant emphasizes arrival; both terms are used in demographic statistics and historical narratives to describe cross-border movement.

Etymology: from Latin emigrare “to move away from the land,” via Old French émigrer; the noun émigrant, and the verb émigrer, date from medieval usage.

Usage: The word can refer to an individual who leaves for any reason—economic, political, or social—but is often associated with political exile in historical contexts (for example, émigrés during periods of upheaval). It can describe temporary or permanent relocation, depending on context and duration of stay.

In demographic statistics, émigration refers to the outflow of people from a country, while immigration refers to inflows; together they determine net migration. Diasporas are often formed by emigrants who maintain ties with their country of origin.

Examples: Historically, many nations have large émigrant communities that maintain cultural and economic links with their homeland. In contemporary usage, national statistics agencies sometimes report emigrant flows separately from immigrant inflows.

See also: exile, diaspora, migration, refugee.