“Emigrate” and “immigrate” sometimes are mistaken for one another. No wonder; the two words share a common theme and sound. They, however, do not bear the same meaning.
To “emigrate” is to exit from one place and enter another. My great, great, great – I’m not exactly sure how many “great’s” are required – grandparents, for instance, emigrated from Germany. They exited from, moved out of, left a country.
To “immigrate” is to move into a place where one was not born. My ancestors emigrated from Germany. They immigrated to the United States.
I personally remember the difference between the two words by using a mnemonic device. “Emigrate” begins with an “e”; hence the “exit.” “Immigrate,” of course, starts with an “i,” a letter that also starts “into.”
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