ghetto

See also: Ghetto

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ghetto, either from Venetian ghèto (“foundry”), or alternatively an apheresis of the Italian borghetto, diminutive of borgo (“village”). Initially used of the areas Jews were concentrated, later extended to concentrations of other ethnicities and then non-ethnic groups. The adjective and verb derive from the noun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛtəʊ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛtoʊ/, [ˈɡɛɾoʊ̯]

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtəʊ

Noun

ghetto (plural ghettos or ghettoes or ghetti)

1. An (often walled) area of a city in which Jews are concentrated by force and law. (Used particularly of areas in medieval Italy and in Nazi-controlled Europe.)
   • 2009, Barbara Engelking-Boni, Jacek Leociak, The Warsaw ghetto: a guide to the perished city, →ISBN, page 25:

     The Venetian ghetto, according to Sennett, was to provide protection from the unclean bodies of the Jews and their sullying touch. The Roman ghetto, on the other hand, was planned as an area for mission. It was supposed to collect the Jews in one place, so that it would be easier to convert them.

   • 2010, Mike Lindner, Leaving Terror Behind: A Boy's Journey to Painting Over the Past, →ISBN, page 49:

     […] concentrating the Jewish community into ghettoes. The Germans not only started the ghettoes, but they had also opened a concentration camp […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghetto.
2. An (often impoverished) area of a city inhabited predominantly by members of a specific nationality, ethnicity, or race.
   • 1998, Steven J. L. Taylor, Desegregation in Boston and Buffalo: The Influence of Local Leaders, →ISBN, page 15:

     Charlestown would also become one of Boston's three large Irish ghettoes.

   • 1998, Arnold R. Hirsch, Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago, 1940-1960, →ISBN, page 253:

     By 1960 the growth and development of Chicago's black areas of residence confirmed the existence of the city's second ghetto.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghetto.
3. An area in which people who are distinguished by sharing something other than ethnicity concentrate or are concentrated.
   • 2006, Gay tourism: culture and context, Gordon Waitt, Kevin Markwell, →ISBN, page 201:

     Counterhegemonic spaces imagined as bounded territories ensure that heteronormativity is fixed beyond the borders of the gay ghetto. The rural and suburban lives of lesbian and gay people are made invisible and signified as inauthentic.

   • 2007, Romania & Moldova, Robert Reid, Leif Pettersen, →ISBN, page 190:

     The student ghetto, southwest of the centre, is inside the triangle formed by [three streets] and is full of open-air bars, internet cafés, fast-food shops — and students.

   • 2001, Justin Taylor, The Gospel of Anarchy: A Novel, →ISBN, page 64:

     They're back in the student ghetto now, on oak-shaded streets lined with run-down houses filled with nonnuclear families of all varieties and kinds. Safe now from the tractor beams of the horrible good Christians, […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghetto.
4. (figurative, sometimes derogatory) An isolated, self-contained, segregated subsection, area or field of interest; often of minority or specialist interest.
   • 1983, Eric S. Rabkin, Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 249:

     Abraham Merritt wrote for the pulps and never in his lifetime achieved critical success. Yet he had a devoted following in the science fiction ghetto who admired the clarity of his style and his power to evoke moods.

   • 2012, Andrew Blum, Tubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet, →ISBN:

     Invent is undoubtedly the wrong word, but the push from government was crucial in getting the Internet out of its academic ghetto.

   • 2016 January 10, Quentin Tarantino, 73rd Golden Globe Awards

     Ennio Morricone... is my favourite composer - and when I say favourite composer, I don't mean movie composer - that ghetto. I'm talking about Mozart, I'm talking about Beethoven, I'm talking about Schubert. That's who I'm talking about.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghetto.

Synonyms

• (often impoverished area of a city): see Thesaurus:slum
• (figurative): ivory tower (academic ghetto)

Derived terms

• ghetto bird
• ghetto blaster, ghettoblaster
• ghetto booty
• ghetto fabulous
• ghetto-fabulous
• ghetto fence
• ghetto house
• ghettoise, ghettoize
• ghetto lottery
• ghetto palm
• ghetto pass
• ghettotech
• student ghetto

 

Translations

area of a city in which Jews were concentrated

• Arabic: غِيتُو m (ḡītū), غِيتُو m (getū)
• Armenian: գետտո (hy) (getto)
• Belarusian: ге́та n (hjéta)
• Bulgarian: еврейски квартал m (evrejski kvartal)
• Catalan: gueto (ca) m, call (ca) m, jueria f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 貧民區／贫民区 (zh) (pínmínqū), 聚居區／聚居区 (zh) (jùjūqū), 猶太人居住區／犹太人居住区 (yóutàirén jūzhùqū), 猶太區／犹太区 (yóutài-qū), 隔都 (zh) (gédōu)

• Czech: ghetto (cs) n
• Danish: ghetto c
• Dutch: jodenbuurt f, getto (nl) n
• Esperanto: geto
• Finnish: getto (fi), ghetto (fi)
• French: ghetto (fr) m
• Georgian: გეტო (geṭo)
• German: Getto (de) n, Ghetto (de) n, Judenviertel (de) n, Judengasse f
• Greek: γκέτο (el) n (gkéto)
• Hebrew: גֶּטוֹ (he) m (geto)
• Hindi: (यहूदी) बस्ती f ((yahūdī) bastī)
• Hungarian: gettó (hu)
• Italian: ghetto (it) m
• Japanese: ゲットー (gettō)
• Korean: 게토 (geto)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: getto (no) m

  Nynorsk: getto m

• Persian: گتو (geto)
• Polish: getto (pl) n
• Portuguese: gueto (pt) m, judiaria (pt) f
• Romanian: ghetou (ro) n
• Russian: ге́тто (ru) n (gétto)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: гето n

  Roman: geto (sh) n

• Spanish: gueto (es) m
• Turkish: getto (tr)
• Ukrainian: ге́тто n (hétto)
• Yiddish: געטאָ f (geto)

area of a city where people of another ethnicity concentrate or are concentrated

• Bulgarian: гето n (geto)
• Catalan: gueto (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 隔都 (zh) (gédōu)

• Danish: ghetto c
• Dutch: getto (nl), ghetto n
• Finnish: getto (fi)
• Georgian: გეტო (geṭo)
• German: Getto (de) n, Ghetto (de) n
• Greek: γκέτο (el) n (gkéto)
• Hungarian: gettó (hu)
• Italian: ghetto (it) m
• Lithuanian: getas m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: getto (no) m

  Nynorsk: getto m

• Polish: getto (pl) n
• Portuguese: gueto (pt) m
• Romanian: ghetou (ro) n
• Russian: ге́тто (ru) n (gétto)
• Turkish: getto (tr)

area where people (distinguished by sharing something other than ethnicity) concentrate or are concentrated

• Danish: ghetto c
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: getto (no) m

  Nynorsk: getto m

• Polish: getto (pl) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Adjective

ghetto (comparative more ghetto, superlative most ghetto)

1. Of or relating to a ghetto or to ghettos in general.
   • 2012, Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, →ISBN, page 50:

     Those residing in ghetto communities were particularly ill equipped to adapt to the seismic changes taking place in the U.S. economy; they were left isolated and jobless.

2. (slang, informal) Unseemly and indecorous or of low quality; cheap; shabby, crude.

   My apartment's so ghetto, the rats and cockroaches filed a complaint with the city!

   I like to drive ghetto cars; if they break down you can just abandon them and pick up a new one!
3. (US, informal, often derogatory or offensive) Characteristic of the style, speech, or behavior of residents of a predominantly black or other ghetto in the United States.
4. Having been raised in a ghetto in the United States.

Derived terms

• boughetto
• nonghetto

Translations

of low quality; cheap; shabby, crude

• Portuguese: favelado
• Turkish: gettomsu, pespaye (tr), külüstür (tr)

characteristic of the style, speech, or behavior of residents of US ghetto

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: نيئة, بيئة

• Turkish: gettomsu

raised in a US ghetto

• Turkish: gettolu

Verb

ghetto (third-person singular simple present ghettoes, present participle ghettoing, simple past and past participle ghettoed)

1. To confine (a specified group of people) to a ghetto.
   • 1964, James A. Atkins, The age of Jim Crow, page 274:

     This is, in brief, a part of the story of the ghettoing of a large segment of Denver's Negro population.

   • 2001, Paul Johnson, Modern Times Revised Edition: World from the Twenties to the Nineties, →ISBN, page 526:

     All African states practised racist policies. In the 1950s and 1960s, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia expelled more than a quarter of a million Jews and ghettoed the few thousand who remained. In the 1960s the United Republic of Tanzania expelled its Arabs or deprived them of equal rights.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghetto.

Translations

confine to a ghetto

• German: gettoisieren

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Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ghetto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡɛto]
• Hyphenation: ghe‧t‧to

Noun

ghetto n

1. ghetto (the district in a city where Jews were compelled to confine themselves)

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Dutch

Noun

ghetto n (plural ghetto's, diminutive ghettootje n)

1. Nonstandard spelling of getto.

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡetːo/, [ˈɡe̞t̪ːo̞]

Noun

ghetto

1. Alternative spelling of getto

Declension

Inflection of ghetto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation)
nominative		ghetto	ghetot
genitive		gheton	ghettojen
partitive		ghettoa	ghettoja
illative		ghettoon	ghettoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ghetto	ghetot
accusative	nom.	ghetto	ghetot
	gen.	gheton
genitive		gheton	ghettojen
partitive		ghettoa	ghettoja
inessive		ghetossa	ghetoissa
elative		ghetosta	ghetoista
illative		ghettoon	ghettoihin
adessive		ghetolla	ghetoilla
ablative		ghetolta	ghetoilta
allative		ghetolle	ghetoille
essive		ghettona	ghettoina
translative		ghetoksi	ghetoiksi
abessive		ghetotta	ghetoitta
instructive		—	ghetoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ghetto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ghettoni ghettoni accusative nom. ghettoni ghettoni gen. ghettoni genitive ghettoni ghettojeni partitive ghettoani ghettojani inessive ghetossani ghetoissani elative ghetostani ghetoistani illative ghettooni ghettoihini adessive ghetollani ghetoillani ablative ghetoltani ghetoiltani allative ghetolleni ghetoilleni essive ghettonani ghettoinani translative ghetokseni ghetoikseni abessive ghetottani ghetoittani instructive — — comitative — ghettoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ghettosi ghettosi accusative nom. ghettosi ghettosi gen. ghettosi genitive ghettosi ghettojesi partitive ghettoasi ghettojasi inessive ghetossasi ghetoissasi elative ghetostasi ghetoistasi illative ghettoosi ghettoihisi adessive ghetollasi ghetoillasi ablative ghetoltasi ghetoiltasi allative ghetollesi ghetoillesi essive ghettonasi ghettoinasi translative ghetoksesi ghetoiksesi abessive ghetottasi ghetoittasi instructive — — comitative — ghettoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ghettomme ghettomme accusative nom. ghettomme ghettomme gen. ghettomme genitive ghettomme ghettojemme partitive ghettoamme ghettojamme inessive ghetossamme ghetoissamme elative ghetostamme ghetoistamme illative ghettoomme ghettoihimme adessive ghetollamme ghetoillamme ablative ghetoltamme ghetoiltamme allative ghetollemme ghetoillemme essive ghettonamme ghettoinamme translative ghetoksemme ghetoiksemme abessive ghetottamme ghetoittamme instructive — — comitative — ghettoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ghettonne ghettonne accusative nom. ghettonne ghettonne gen. ghettonne genitive ghettonne ghettojenne partitive ghettoanne ghettojanne inessive ghetossanne ghetoissanne elative ghetostanne ghetoistanne illative ghettoonne ghettoihinne adessive ghetollanne ghetoillanne ablative ghetoltanne ghetoiltanne allative ghetollenne ghetoillenne essive ghettonanne ghettoinanne translative ghetoksenne ghetoiksenne abessive ghetottanne ghetoittanne instructive — — comitative — ghettoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative ghettonsa ghettonsa accusative nom. ghettonsa ghettonsa gen. ghettonsa genitive ghettonsa ghettojensa partitive ghettoaan ghettoansa ghettojaan ghettojansa inessive ghetossaan ghetossansa ghetoissaan ghetoissansa elative ghetostaan ghetostansa ghetoistaan ghetoistansa illative ghettoonsa ghettoihinsa adessive ghetollaan ghetollansa ghetoillaan ghetoillansa ablative ghetoltaan ghetoltansa ghetoiltaan ghetoiltansa allative ghetolleen ghetollensa ghetoilleen ghetoillensa essive ghettonaan ghettonansa ghettoinaan ghettoinansa translative ghetokseen ghetoksensa ghetoikseen ghetoiksensa abessive ghetottaan ghetottansa ghetoittaan ghetoittansa instructive — — comitative — ghettoineen ghettoinensa

Anagrams

• ghetot

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French

Etymology

From Italian ghetto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ.to/ ~ /ɡe.to/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ghetto m (plural ghettos or ghetti)

1. ghetto

Derived terms

• ghettoïsation
• ghettoïser
• ghettoïque

Further reading

• “ghetto”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Venetian ghèto (“foundry”). Alternatively an apheresis of borghetto, diminutive of borgo (“village”). Initially used of the areas Jews were concentrated, later extended to concentrations of other ethnicities and then non-ethnic groups.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡet.to/
• Rhymes: -etto
• Hyphenation: ghét‧to

Noun

ghetto m (plural ghetti)

1. ghetto

Derived terms

• ghettizzare

Descendants

• → English: ghetto
• → French: ghetto

Further reading

• ghetto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

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Portuguese

Noun

ghetto m (plural ghettos)

1. Alternative spelling of gueto

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Swedish

Alternative forms

• getto

Etymology

From Italian ghetto.

Noun

ghetto n

1. ghetto

Usage notes

Style guides recommend the variant spelling getto over ghetto.

Declension

Declension of ghetto
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	ghetto	ghettot	ghetton	ghettona
Genitive	ghettos	ghettots	ghettons	ghettonas

References

• ghetto in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• ghetto in Svensk ordbok (SO)