Settler
Someone who moves to a new territory and calls it their own.
How We Say It
setยทlษr
Where It Comes From
From settle โ Old English setlan, to seat, place. 'Settler' emerged in colonial contexts to describe European migrants to territories occupied by indigenous peoples. The word implies permanence and a claimed relationship to land.
How It's Been Used
In American history: the people who moved west, displacing indigenous nations. In contemporary usage, particularly regarding the West Bank: Israelis who have established communities in territory occupied since 1967, which Israel does not formally annex but controls militarily. Israeli settlers in the West Bank number over 700,000. Their legal status under international law โ specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on an occupying power transferring its civilian population into occupied territory โ is the subject of active legal proceedings. The word's use is itself contested.