Refugee

What are the origins of the word refugee?
 
“Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict, or persecution and who have crossed an international boundary in order to find safety in another country” (https://www.unhcr.org/what-is-a-refugee.html).
 
Merriam-Webster defines a refugee as “one who flees; especially, a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution”.
 
A refugee can be any person who is a member of a group which is being persecuted for whatever reasons in their home country. Anyone from this targeted group can be considered a refugee. Also, a refugee can be a particular person who has been targeted by an oppressive government, often for their religious or political views and actions (Stories from newcomers to Canada, https://sntc.squarespace.com/).
 
The word refugee has its origins in Latin fugere (to flee). Latin re- (back) + fugere + ium (a place for) = refugium (a taking refuge; a place to flee to). From these Latin origins came Old French refuge (hiding place) and refugier (to take shelter, to protect). The word refuge (shelter or protection from danger or distress) came to English in the late 14th century from Old French refuge.
 
In the 1680s, the word refugee (one who flees to a refuge or place of safety in a foreign country during times of persecution or political disorder) first appears in English. At this time, the word refugee referred in particular to the French Huguenots (i.e., French Calvinist Protestants) who were fleeing or migrating from France during the 17th century to avoid religious persecution.1
 
Until 1914 and the beginning of World War One, the word refugee generally meant ‘one seeking asylum’. However, following the outbreak of the war, the word refugee also came to mean ‘one fleeing from their home’.
 
Seems like the words ‘refuge’ and ‘refugee’ have always been needed. They have been around almost unchanged since the ancient days of Latin refugium.
 
Image: United Nations High Commission for Refugees (unhcr.org)
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
 
1 During the various religious Reformation movements of the 16th century, French Calvinist Protestants (known as Huguenots) were increasingly victims of religious persecution. In particular, the St Bartholomew’s Day (23 – 24 August 1572) massacre of Huguenots in Paris, allegedly instigated by the French royal family, marked the beginning of mob violence against Huguenots across France which lasted for several weeks. Thousands of Huguenots were killed. Thousands more fled the country.
 
The Edict of Nantes, enacted in 1598, was intended to counter such persecution and to protect and give equal rights to the Protestant citizens of Roman Catholic France. In spite of this, official and unofficial persecution continued. During the 1600s, many Huguenots fled from France to safe havens in other European countries, to the British colonies of North America, and to Africa. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 was marked by a second major wave of refugees from France.