ethnicity

[eth-nis-i-tee]

noun

plural

ethnicities 

1. an ethnic group; a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.

   Representatives of several ethnicities were present.

2. ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association.

   The graph shows class enrollment by gender and ethnicity.

ethnicity

1. Identity with or membership in a particular racial, national, or cultural group and observance of that group's customs, beliefs, and language.

Usage

race ²

Many minority groups in the United States maintain strong ethnic identity; especially in cities, immigrants are often attracted to ethnic communities established by people from their own country, communities in which many traditional cultural features are maintained. (See melting pot.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethnicity¹

First recorded in 1765–75, for earlier sense; ethnic + -ity

Example Sentences

Most European states were created out of a prior sense of a common ethnicity or language.

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The study found that while Democrats were largely consistent in their opposition to these immigration policies, Republican sentiment varied more, especially by age, gender and ethnicity.

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He said the ethnicities of suspects varied and are "reflective of the diversity we see in the city".

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Think of the Irish in the 19th century, Italians in the early 20th, or multiple Asian ethnicities today.

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It is difficult to establish the exact size of the UK's Kurdish population - official records tend to log nationality rather than ethnicity.

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