English Explanatory Dictionary

ethnic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of or relating to a group of people having common racial, ancestral, national, religious or cultural origins.
  2. Characteristic of a foreign or a minority group's culture.
  3. Representative of a folk or traditional mode of expression.
  4. Heathen, not Jewish, Christian, or Muslim.
noun
  1. An ethnic person, especially a foreigner or member of an immigrant community.
  2. A heathen, a pagan.
  3. The demonym of an Ancient Greek city.

Pronunciation

/ˈɛθ.nɪk/ En-us-ethnic.ogg

Word forms

ethnic more ethnic most ethnic ethnick ethnics

Etymology

From Middle English ethnik, from Latin ethnicus ("pagan", "heathen"), from Ancient Greek ἐθνικός (ethnikós, “of or for a nation, heathen”), from ἔθνος (éthnos, “a company", later "a people or nation, heathens”). By surface analysis, ethno- + -ic.

Synonyms

exotic pagan gentile

Related words

ethnical ethnically ethnicity ethnocentric ethnocultural ethnography ethnologeny ethnology

Derived words

antiethnic biethnic coethnic ethnic cleanser ethnic cleansing ethnic gloss ethnic group ethnicism ethnicist ethnicistic ethnicization ethnicize ethnicky ethnic majority ethnic minority ethnic music ethnic purge ethnic studies geoethnic homoethnic interethnic intraethnic meta-ethnic metroethnic monoethnic multiethnic nonethnic pluriethnic polyethnic postethnic proethnic socioethnic subethnic supra-ethnic transethnic
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