Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

third culture kid

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.61 in modern English

Syllables: third -cul-ture kid
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A young person who has lived for a significant period outside their birth (or passport) country due to parental work-related migration.

Example Sentences

"In 1984, Dr. Ted Ward, then a sociologist at Michigan State University, predicted in a plenary talk at the International Conference for Missionary Kids (ICMK) in Manila that third culture kids were the prototype citizens of the future."

Etymology

Coined by American sociologist and anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s. "Third culture" refers to a distinct way of life different from those of the birth or host countries, but common to fellow expats.

Inflected Forms

third culture kids (plural) third-culture kid (alternative)

Phrases

adult third culture kid

Synonyms

TCK

Questions

What does third culture kid mean?: A young person who has lived for a significant period outside their birth (or passport) country due to parental work-related migration.
Where does third culture kid come from?: Coined by American sociologist and anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s. "Third culture" refers to a distinct way of life different from those of the birth or host countries, but common to fellow expats.

How to pronounce third culture kid

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “third culture kid”.
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