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ethnicity

[eth-nis-i-tee]

Origin

noun, plural eth·nic·i·ties.

ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association.

an ethnic group: Representatives of several ethnicities were present.

Origin:
1765–75, for earlier sense; ethnic + -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To ethnicity

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Ethnicity is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

ethnic or ethnical (ˈɛθnɪk)

—*adj*
1.	relating to or characteristic of a human group having racial, religious, linguistic, and certain other traits in common
2.	relating to the classification of mankind into groups, esp on the basis of racial characteristics
3.	denoting or deriving from the cultural traditions of a group of people: the ethnic dances of Slovakia
4.	characteristic of another culture: the ethnic look; ethnic food

—n
5.	chiefly (US), (Austral) a member of an ethnic group, esp a minority group

[C14 (in the senses: heathen, Gentile): from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikos, from ethnos race]

usage Referring to a person as an ethnic is broadly acceptable in the US, Australia and Canada, but could well cause offence in the UK and elsewhere

ethnical or ethnical

—*adj*

—n

[C14 (in the senses: heathen, Gentile): from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikos, from ethnos race]

usage Referring to a person as an ethnic is broadly acceptable in the US, Australia and Canada, but could well cause offence in the UK and elsewhere

'ethnically or ethnical

—*adv*

ethnicity or ethnical

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

ethnicity

1953, from ethnic + -ity.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

ethnicity [(eth-nis-uh-tee)]

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

Note: 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.)

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ethnicity

eth·nic·i·ty