ENGLISH
REFERENCE

immigrant

n. · adj.
US //ˈɪməɡɹənt// UK //ˈɪmɪɡɹənt// im·mi·grant
  1. 1 a person moving countries (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    someone who comes to live in a different country from the one where they were born.

    a person who migrates to a country of which they are not a native in order to settle there permanently.

    Example

    My grandfather was an immigrant who moved here from Italy in 1950.

    Example

    The city's vibrant culture is largely a result of the diverse immigrant communities that have settled there over the last century.
    Pitfall
    He is an emigrant from Italy living here in New York.
    He is an immigrant from Italy living here in New York.

    Use 'immigrant' for someone coming into a country and 'emigrant' for someone leaving their home country.

  2. 2 biology (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    a plant or animal that starts living in a new area where it did not live before.

    an organism that establishes itself in a new ecosystem or geographical region where it was previously absent.

    Example

    The colorful bird is a recent immigrant to this part of the forest.

    Example

    Ecologists are monitoring the spread of the new plant immigrant to ensure it does not displace native species in the wetlands.
    • colonist
    • introduced species
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  1. 3 related to moving countries (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    relating to people who move to a new country or the experience of moving.

    pertaining to immigrants or the process of immigration; used attributively before a noun.

    Example

    The government is discussing new immigrant laws this week.

    Example

    The documentary provides a moving account of the immigrant experience, highlighting the challenges of adapting to a foreign tongue and culture.
Origin

From Latin immigrans, present active participle of immigrāre (“to migrate into”), from in- (“into”) + migrāre (“to migrate”).

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