What Do You Mean?

Some time ago an acquaintance was confused with my use of the term "expatriate" or "expat"; the assumption was someone who has surrendered citizenship, based on the literal meaning of the word considering the prefix "ex"--former, and the root word "patriot"--citizen of a country.  I shared my understanding of the definition as someone living outside the country of their citizenship often the result of a work assignment.  Expats generally retain their citizenship and return back home at some time.

When a person takes a position/job in a new location and their spouse follows the spouse is known as a trailing spouse or trailer.  Trailing spouses are often associated with expat positions but may include moves within a country.

I trust these definitions are helpful and will prevent confusion.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailing_spouse