the.com/refugee

means A person who has fled their country, usually to escape war, persecution, or disaster, and sought safety elsewhere.

from From French réfugié, literally 'one who has taken refuge,' the past participle of réfugier, 'to take shelter.' That traces back to Latin refugere — re- 'back' plus fugere 'to flee' (the same root that gives us 'fugitive' and 'fugue'). The word entered English in force in the late 1600s, used for Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in France — so from its very first English use, it meant exactly what it means now: someone running toward safety because home became impossible to stay in.