an ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties
"ethnicity has a strong influence on community status relations"
The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
"The diversity of their village is evident in the wide range of ethnicities represented by residents from different ancestral backgrounds and cultural traditions."
In plain English: Ethnicity is your cultural background based on shared traditions, language, and history that you inherit from your family or community.
"When filling out government forms, you can list your ethnicity to describe your cultural background."
Usage: Use ethnicity to describe shared cultural traits like heritage and traditions rather than biological race. It is often confused with nationality when referring specifically to ancestral background instead of citizenship status.
The word ethnicity is formed by adding the suffix -ity to ethnic. It entered English as a noun describing the quality or state of being ethnic.