Refugees
Etymology
From French réfugié, past participle of réfugier (“to take refuge”), describing early French Protestants seeking refuge after the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685.
Analyzable as refuge + -ee. Displaced native Old English flīema.
Noun
refugee (plural refugees)
- A person seeking refuge in a foreign country out of fear of political persecution or the prospect of such persecution in their home country, i.e., a person seeking political asylum. quotations ▼
- A person seeking refuge due to a natural disaster, war, etc. quotations ▼
- A person formally granted political or economic asylum by a country other than their home country.
- (by extension) A person who flees one place or institution for another. quotations ▼