ethnically
Meaning
In a way that relates to a group of people who share a common cultural or national tradition.
Structure
Usage
The city is ethnically and culturally diverse.
The region was divided ethnically after the conflict.
She identified ethnically with her ancestral community.
Etymology
The word 'ethnically' is built upon the core concept of 'ethnos', an ancient Greek term for a company, troop, or nation of people living together. The Greek adjective ethnikos was adopted into Late Latin as ethnicus, carrying the sense of 'pagan' or 'gentile' before evolving in English to denote characteristics of a human group with shared cultural traits. The adverbial suffix '-ally' is a Latinate compound, originating from the Latin adverbial ending '-aliter' attached to adjectives ending in '-alis'. Thus, 'ethnically' literally means 'in a manner pertaining to a people or nation', transforming the descriptive quality of 'ethnic' into a mode of relation or classification.
Analysis
- ethnic: From Greek ethnikos (national, gentile), from ethnos (nation, people). Functions as the core adjective. - ally: A suffix forming adverbs from adjectives, from Latin -aliter (by the way of). Functions as an adverbial suffix.