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The word ghetto comes from the Jewish area of Venice, the Venetian Ghetto in Cannaregio (1516–1797). By 1899, the term had been extended to crowded urban quarters of other minority groups.
The name ghetto, probably derived from an iron foundry in the neighbourhood, was first used in Venice in 1516. In that year an area for Jewish settlement was set aside, shut off from the rest of the city, and provided with Christian watchmen. It became a model for ghettos in Italy.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sep 24, 2019 · The linkage between Jews and “ghetto” began in the early 16th century. Here's how the word came to signify racial segregation in America.
The original root language of "ghetto" is unknown. But its original meaning has long been clear. By the 17th century, Rome and Venice had segregated Jewish residents into ghettos.
Sep 28, 2017 · ghetto (n.) 1610s, "part of a city in which Jews are compelled to live," especially in Italy, from Italian ghetto "part of a city to which Jews are restricted," of unknown origin.
Aug 16, 2019 · Back in Europe, “ghetto” was appropriated for the desolate sections of Nazi-occupied cities where Jews were held before being shipped to death camps. Today, Schwartz said, the word is probably most associated with impoverished inner-city African American neighborhoods.
Jul 2, 2020 · History’s Daniel Schwartz has examined the centuries-old past of the word “ghetto,” from its 16th century origins to its echoes in Nazi Germany. He traces how the term has come to symbolize both pain and pride.
