Final answer:
True, the term 'ghetto' was originally Venetian and used to segregate Jewish people. It has since been used to describe areas where various minority groups have been forced to live due to segregationist policies or socio-economic factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term ghetto was indeed originally Venetian, which makes the statement true. In the year 1516, Venice established the first official ghetto to segregate Jewish people. This was part of a broader pattern of ethnic segregation and ghettoization that has occurred throughout history. Patterns such as the Early Northern and Classic Northern ghettos saw different ethnic groups, including African-Americans, Irish, and Greeks, constrained to specific urban areas due to various socio-economic factors and discriminatory practices.
Over time, the term ghetto has evolved but remains rooted in its historical context of enforced segregation. In more recent history, particularly during the Nazi reign of terror, Jewish people were forcibly confined in ghettos under deplorable conditions. Today, the term 'ethnic enclave' is often used by social scientists to refer to neighborhoods dominated by a single ethnicity without the negative connotations of the word ghetto.