ghetto

 
Pronunciation: /ˈgɛtəʊ/

noun (plural ghettos or ghettoes)

  • a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.
  • historical the Jewish quarter in a city: the Warsaw Ghetto
  • an isolated or segregated group or area: the relative security of the gay ghetto

verb (ghettoes, ghettoing, ghettoed)

[with object]
  • put in or restrict to an isolated or segregated area or group.

Origin:

early 17th century: perhaps from Italian getto 'foundry' (because the first ghetto was established in 1516 on the site of a foundry in Venice), or from Italian borghetto, diminutive of borgo 'borough'

Spelling help

Spell ghetto with gh- at the beginning and a double t. The plural can be spelled either ghettos or ghettoes.