Final answer:
The term 'ethnicity' is defined by shared cultural characteristics such as language or religion, differing from race which is based on physical attributes. Ethnicity includes cultural traditions, practices, and shared heritage, which can span across different races.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethnicity Defined Based on Cultural Characteristics
Ethnicity is defined on the basis of some real or presumed cultural characteristic, such as language or religion. Unlike race, which is linked to physical attributes considered significant by society, ethnicity encompasses cultural practices, norms, values, and beliefs. This might include shared language, religion, and traditions among other commonalities. The term is used to describe groups within a larger population which share these cultural elements. It is a social construct that, much like race, can be used by individuals and institutions in varied ways including for census data, diversity initiatives, or in nondiscrimination laws.
Ethnicity contrasts with race in that it is not tied to the physical features dictated by genetics but rather revolves around shared cultural heritage and identity. An individual's ethnic background can include ancestry, national origin, and other cultural heritage traditions that are passed down through generations, serving as primary characteristics of identification. Because of this, people of the same race can belong to different ethnic groups, and conversely, people from different races might share an ethnicity.