Cosmopolitan - Definition and Overview

The term cosmopolitan refers to an individual who retains cultural roots in his or her country of origin, yet has adopted a wide taste for other cultures, and so lives both a "local" and "global" life. The term is derived from Greek cosmos, the global, and polis, the old Greek city-states (the local).

• It is sometimes misused to mean only "the global", either as a person who is seasoned in ways of the world, or as an adjective, to describe something with a far-reaching impact.
• It is sometimes used by antisemites as an euphemism for Jew. Stalin used a variant of this; rootless cosmopolitan.
• In biology, cosmopolitan refers to an animal or plant found all over the world, under wide-ranging ecological conditions.
• Also a popular magazine. See Cosmopolitan Magazine.
• A cosmopolitan also refers to a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry juice, and orange liquor.