Ethnic

English

Etymology

From French ethnique < Latin ethnicus < Ancient Greek ἐθνικός (ethnikos, “of or for a nation, national”) < ἔθνος (ethnos, “a company, later a people, nation”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛθnɪk/

Adjective

Ethnic (comparative more Ethnic, superlative most Ethnic)

1. Of or related to a group of people having common racial, national, religious or cultural origins.

   There are many ethnic Indonesians in the Netherlands

2. Belonging to a foreign culture.

   I like to eat ethnic food

3. (historical) heathen, not Judeo-Christian

Derived terms

• antiethnic
• ethnic cleansing
• ethnic group
• ethnic minority

Related terms

• ethnicity
• ethnically
• ethnical
• ethnicity
• ethnocentric
• ethno-cultural
• ethnography
• ethnologeny
• ethnology

Synonyms

• (culturally foreign): exotic
• (heathen): pagan, gentile

Translations

related to a group of people

Catalan: ètnic (ca) Danish: etnisk (da) Dutch: etnisch (nl) French: ethnique (fr) German: ethnisch (de) Hungarian: etnikai (hu)

Icelandic: þjóðernis- (is) Italian: etnico (it) m., etnica (it) f. Korean: 민족의 (minjogui) Portuguese: étnico (pt) m., étnica (pt) f. Russian: этнический (ru) (etníčeskij) Turkish: etnik (tr)

heathen, not Judeo-Christian

Catalan: ètnic (ca), pagà (ca) Danish: hedning (da)

Russian: языческий (ru) (jazýčeskij)

belonging to a foreign culture

Danish: etnisk (da), eksotisk (da), fremmed (da) Dutch: etnisch (nl), exotisch (nl), vreemd (nl)

Italian: etnico (it) m., etnica (it) f. Korean: 이국의 (igugui)

The translations below need to be checked.

Translations to be checked

French: ethnique (fr), païen

Noun

Ethnic (plural Ethnics)

1. An ethnic person, notably said when a foreigner or member of an immigrant community
2. An ethnic minority

Translations

ethnic person, notably when foreigner or immigrant

Dutch: vreemdeling (nl) m.

ethnic minority

Dutch: (etnische) minderheid(sgroep)

External links

• Ethnic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• Ethnic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911