I. ˈged.(ˌ)ō, ˈge(ˌ)tō noun
( plural ghettos also ghettoes )
Etymology: Italian
1.
a. : a quarter of a city (as in Italy) in which Jews were formerly required to live
b. : a quarter of a city in which the residents are chiefly Jews
the tide of immigration from the ghettos of Europe … streamed into New York — American Mercury
2. : a quarter of a city in which members of a minority racial or cultural group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure
there have long been self-imposed ghettos in our big industrial centers — Charles Abrams
the racial ghettos which now shelter and set apart from the rest of the community Negroes and Chinese … are invariably located in the slum — R.E.Park
3. : an isolated or segregated group
they're in an economic ghetto , which … forces them to live in some cheap section — Morley Callaghan
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: ghettoize