The First Ghetto Was in Venice
A ghetto is an area occupied by a minority group. The word and the institution both began in Venice in 1516.
A ghetto is an area of a city occupied by a minority group, historically by compulsion. The word and the practice began together: in 1516 Venice confined its Jewish population to an island that held a foundry, *getto* in Venetian dialect. The name spread across Europe with the institution, and the Nazi ghettos of the twentieth century made it a word of horror.
- A minority quarter. *The Venetian ghetto.*
- A poor urban area. *An inner-city ghetto.*
- Ghettoise — to isolate a group. *Ghettoised communities.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ghetto | The old ghetto. |
| Plural | ghettos | Wartime ghettos. |
| Verb | ghettoise | Ghettoise the poor. |
| Adjective | ghettoised | A ghettoised group. |
| Related | segregation | Racial segregation. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The Venetian ghetto dates from 1516.The first use of the word.
- The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began in 1943.Second World War.
- Ghettoise means to isolate deliberately.Often used figuratively of ideas or groups.
Historical background
- Venice 1516 — the first area given the name
- Getto — the Venetian word for a foundry, which stood on the site
- Curfew and gates — residents were locked in at night
- Napoleon — abolished the Venetian ghetto in 1797
- Twentieth century — the Nazi ghettos were instruments of persecution and murder
From Venetian *getto*, a foundry, the site of the Jewish quarter established in 1516. Other origins have been proposed but this is the most widely accepted.
Where does the word come from?
From the Venetian word for a foundry, on whose site the city confined its Jewish population from 1516.
Is the word still used neutrally?
It is used in urban studies for areas of concentrated minority residence, but it carries a heavy history and is often avoided.