ethnicity

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English ethnic Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English ethnicity From ethnic + -ity.

1. The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.

   “Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept? […] After all, more and more diseases are reportedly correlated with ethnicity and race.”

2. An ethnic group.

   “As a young Asian American, I was lucky growing up in an inclusive suburb, where although known to be predominantly Caucasian, all blends of cultures and ethnicities were embodied in the school populations. That said, the “K-wave” had not reached the depths of Naperville yet, and I remember K-pop lovers being perceived as outcasts all over the States.”

3. Race; common ancestry.