metic

/ˈmɛdɪk/

Other forms: metics

In ancient Greece, a metic was someone who relocated from a foreign country to Athens. Though metics had many of the rights of citizens, they held a lower social status.

Most metics in ancient Athens were immigrants from nearby cities who had fled persecution or poverty. A small percentage of metics were formerly enslaved people. Despite the fact that metics often gained economic success, their lowly position in society was essentially permanent; the city could grant them citizenship but rarely did. The Greek root of metic is meta, or "change."

Definitions of metic

1. noun

   a foreigner who paid a fee to reside in an ancient Greek city
   type of:

   alien, foreigner, noncitizen, outlander

   a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country