ghetto
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
An area of a city inhabited predominantly by members of a specific nationality, ethnicity.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
gehtohSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡɛtoʊ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An (often impoverished) area of a city inhabited predominantly by members of a specific nationality, ethnicity, or race.
An area in which people who are distinguished by sharing something other than ethnicity concentrate or are concentrated.
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.)
adjective
Of or relating to a ghetto or to ghettos in general.
Having been raised in a ghetto in the United States.
verb
transitive
To confine (a specified group of people) to a ghetto.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
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