ghetto
UK: ˈɡet.əʊ | US: ˈɡet.oʊ
n. 1. A part of a city, often a slum area, where a minority group is concentrated, especially due to social or economic pressures.
n. 2. Historically, a segregated area where Jewish people were forced to live in certain European cities.
n. 3. (Informal) Any isolated or marginalized community or situation.
ghetto = ghett<foundry (Italian)> + o<suffix>
- ghett (from Italian ghetto, originally "foundry," referring to the site of Venice's Jewish quarter in 1516).
- o (a common suffix in Italian place names).
Etymology Origin:
The word ghetto traces back to 16th-century Venice, where Jews were confined to a district near a getto (Venetian dialect for "foundry"). Over time, it generalized to describe segregated urban areas for marginalized groups. The term later expanded metaphorically to denote social isolation.
The Jewish ghetto in Venice is now a historic neighborhood.
Many immigrants settled in the urban ghetto due to housing discrimination.
The film depicts life in a Chicago ghetto during the 1960s.
Some artists use "ghetto" to describe creative constraints.
Economic policies often neglect communities labeled as ghettos.