1 asylee | Definition of asylee

asylee

noun
asy·​lee | \ ə-ˌsī-ˈlē How to pronounce asylee (audio) \
plural asylees

Definition of asylee

law
: someone who is seeking asylum (see asylum sense 3b) or who has been granted asylum Asylum status may be terminated for the same grounds or if there are changed circumstances in the asylee's country which eliminates the need for asylum.Federal Register Part V, 2 June 1980 White House aide Jack Watson, according to The Wall Street Journal, refers to Cubans seeking asylum in the United States as “asylees.”— William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 15 June 1980 … told me that one of the questions the authorities ask to determine whether or not someone qualifies for asylee status is “Are you afraid to return to your own country?”— G. Willow Wilson, The Butterfly Mosque, 2010

First Known Use of asylee

1950, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for asylee

asyl(um) + -ee entry 1

Keep scrolling for more