The word xenophobia consists of two parts: xeno, a combining form meaning "stranger, person that looks different from you, foreigner", and phobia, "fear".
As defined by the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), it can be a fear of or aversion to, not only persons from other countries, but other cultures, subcultures, etc. in short, anyone who meets any list of criteria about their origin, religion, personal beliefs, habits, language, orientations, or any other criteria.
There are two main objects of the phobia in xenophobia: The first form is a population group present within a society that is not considered part of that society. Often they are recent immigrants, but xenophobia may be directed against a group which has been present for centuries. This form of xenophobia can elicit or facilitate hostile and violent reactions, such as mass expulsion of immigrants, pogroms, or in the worst case, genocide. The second form of xenophobia is primarily cultural, and the objects of the phobia are cultural elements which are considered alien. All cultures are subject to external influences, but cultural xenophobia is often narrowly directed, for instance at foreign loan words in a national language. It rarely leads to aggression against individual persons, but can result in political campaigns for cultural or linguistic purification. Isolationism, a general aversion of foreign affairs, is not accurately described as xenophobia.
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