optant means A person who lives in a region undergoing a change of sovereignty and thus may choose between retaining their old citizenship or opting for the citizenship of the new sovereignty. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
Why this word is great
OPTANT — [Noun] A person who lives in a region undergoing a change of sovereignty and thus may choose between retaining their old citizenship or opting for the citizenship of the new sovereignty, or more generally, a person who opts into, out of, or for something. Partly borrowed from German Optant or Danish optant (both attested since 1907), and partly formed within English from opt ("to choose") + -ant (agent noun suffix). Unlike an "emigrant" (who leaves irrevocably) or a "naturalized citizen" (who assimilates by process), the optant stands at a crossroads, weighing allegiance like coins in the palm. It is the Alsatian farmer signing papers by lamplight, the Sudeten clerk hesitating over two stamps, the Hong Kong student staring at dual passports on a kitchen table—a reminder that identity, too, is sometimes a matter of paperwork.
noun
- A person who lives in a region undergoing a change of sovereignty and thus may choose between retaining their old citizenship or opting for the citizenship of the new sovereignty.“According to one authority, nearly 40,000 of the Sleswick Danes had become 'optants'—that is, had taken the 'option' of Danish nationality—or had emigrated, by the end of 1880.”
- A person who opts into, out of, or for something.