

ex⋅ile
[eg-zahyl, ek-sahyl]
noun, verb, -iled, -il⋅ing.| 1. | expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree. |
| 2. | the fact or state of such expulsion: to live in exile. |
| 3. | a person banished from his or her native land. |
| 4. | prolonged separation from one's country or home, as by force of circumstances: wartime exile. |
| 5. | anyone separated from his or her country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances. |
| 6. | the Exile, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, 597–538 b.c. |
| 7. | to expel or banish (a person) from his or her country; expatriate. |
| 8. | to separate from country, home, etc.: Disagreements exiled him from his family. |
Related forms:
7, 8. evict, drive out, cast out, eject, deport.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
ex·ile (ěg'zīl', ěk'sīl') n.
To send into exile; banish. See Synonyms at banish. [Middle English exil, from Old French, from Latin exilium, from exul, exsul, exiled person, wanderer.] ex·il'ic (ĭg-zĭl'ĭk, ĭk-sĭl'-), ex·il'ian (ĭg-zĭl'yən, -zĭl'ē-ən, ĭk-sĭl'yən, -sĭl'ē-ən) adj. |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Exile
Ex"ile\, n. [OE. exil, fr. L. exilium, exsilium, fr. exsuil one who quits, or is banished from, his native soil; ex out + solum ground, land, soil, or perh. fr.the root of salire to leap, spring; cf. F. exil. Cf. Sole of the foot, Saltation.]1. Forced separation from one's native country; expulsion from one's home by the civil authority; banishment; sometimes, voluntary separation from one's native country. Let them be recalled from their exile. --Shak. 2. The person expelled from his country by authority; also, one who separates himself from his home. Thou art in exile, and thou must not stay. --Shak. Syn: Banishment; proscription; expulsion.Exile
Ex*ile"\, a. [L. exilis.] Small; slender; thin; fine. [Obs.] "An exile sound." --Bacon.Cite This Source
exile (v.)
Cite This Source
Exile
(1.) Of the kingdom of Israel. In the time of Pekah, Tiglath-pileser II. carried away captive into Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; comp. Isa. 10:5, 6) a part of the inhabitants of Galilee and of Gilead (B.C. 741). After the destruction of Samaria (B.C. 720) by Shalmaneser and Sargon (q.v.), there was a general deportation of the Israelites into Mesopotamia and Media (2 Kings 17:6; 18:9; 1 Chr. 5:26). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF.) (2.) Of the kingdom of the two tribes, the kingdom of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jer. 25:1), invaded Judah, and carried away some royal youths, including Daniel and his companions (B.C. 606), together with the sacred vessels of the temple (2 Chr. 36:7; Dan. 1:2). In B.C. 598 (Jer. 52:28; 2 Kings 24:12), in the beginning of Jehoiachin's reign (2 Kings 24:8), Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive 3,023 eminent Jews, including the king (2 Chr. 36:10), with his family and officers (2 Kings 24:12), and a large number of warriors (16), with very many persons of note (14), and artisans (16), leaving behind only those who were poor and helpless. This was the first general deportation to Babylon. In B.C. 588, after the revolt of Zedekiah (q.v.), there was a second general deportation of Jews by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 52:29; 2 Kings 25:8), including 832 more of the principal men of the kingdom. He carried away also the rest of the sacred vessels (2 Chr. 36:18). From this period, when the temple was destroyed (2 Kings 25:9), to the complete restoration, B.C. 517 (Ezra 6:15), is the period of the "seventy years." In B.C. 582 occurred the last and final deportation. The entire number Nebuchadnezzar carried captive was 4,600 heads of families with their wives and children and dependants (Jer. 52:30; 43:5-7; 2 Chr. 36:20, etc.). Thus the exiles formed a very considerable community in Babylon. When Cyrus granted permission to the Jews to return to their own land (Ezra 1:5; 7:13), only a comparatively small number at first availed themselves of the privilege. It cannot be questioned that many belonging to the kingdom of Israel ultimately joined the Jews under Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah, and returned along with them to Jerusalem (Jer. 50:4, 5, 17-20, 33-35). Large numbers had, however, settled in the land of Babylon, and formed numerous colonies in different parts of the kingdom. Their descendants very probably have spread far into Eastern lands and become absorbed in the general population. (See JUDAH, KINGDOM OF ØT0002126; CAPTIVITY.)
Cite This Source
exile
prolonged absence from one's country imposed by vested authority as a punitive measure. It most likely originated among early civilizations from the practice of designating an offender an outcast and depriving him of the comfort and protection of his group. Exile was practiced by the Greeks chiefly in cases of homicide, although ostracism was a form of exile imposed for political reasons. In Rome, exile (exsilium) arose as a means of circumventing the death penalty (see capital punishment). Before a death sentence was pronounced, a Roman citizen could escape by voluntary exile. Later, degrees of exile were introduced, including temporary or permanent exile, exile with or without loss of citizenship, and exile with or without confiscation of property. The Romans generally determined punishment by class, applying sentences of banishment to the upper classes and sentences of forced labour to the lower classes.
Learn more about exile with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
zaɪl