Why do Brits and Americans have a special term instead of just using Immigrant?

  • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    4 hours ago

    Immigrant would be someone coming to your country, emigrant is someone leaving your country. So an expat would be an emigrant if anything. I’ve always assumed that it’s short for ex-patriot, since they left their country to go live in another one.