Ethnic

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ethnic \Eth"nic\, Ethnical \Eth"nic*al\, a. [L. ethnicus, Gr. ?,
     fr. ? nation, ? ? the nations, heathens, gentiles: cf. F.
     ethnique.]
     1. Belonging to races or nations; based on distinctions of
        race; ethnological.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Pertaining to the gentiles, or nations not converted to
        Christianity; heathen; pagan; -- opposed to {Jewish} and
        {Christian}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. of or pertaining to a group having a distinct racial,
        cultural, religious or linguistic character; as, ethnic
        differences within a population can cause civil war.
        [PJC]
  
     4. being a member of a distinct racial or cultural minority
        within a larger population; as, ethnic Chinese own most of
        the businesses in Indonesia.
        [PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ethnic \Eth"nic\n.
     1. A heathen; a pagan. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              No better reported than impure ethnic and lay dogs.
                                                    --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. a member of an ethnic group.
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ethnic
       adj 1: denoting or deriving from or distinctive of the ways of
              living built up by a group of people; "influenced by
              ethnic and cultural ties"- J.F.Kennedy; "ethnic food"
              [syn: {cultural}, {ethnical}]
       2: not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and
          Islam [syn: {heathen}, {heathenish}, {pagan}]