The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
ethnicity
(eth-NIS-uh-tee) Identity with or membership in a particular racial, national, or cultural group and observance of that groups customs, beliefs, and language.
Many minority groups in the United States maintain strong ethnic identity; especially in cities, immigrants are often attracted to ethnic communities established by people from their own country, communities in which many traditional cultural features are maintained. (Seemelting pot.)