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DictionaryraceAncestry-based social category
noun

race

A socially constructed category linked to ancestry and physical traits.

The survey asks how people identify their race.

Etymology
raceFrenchlineage; kind

The French word referred to a breed, lineage, or kind. It broadened into classifications of people, which are social categories rather than discrete biological divisions.

More examples

  • Her study examined discrimination based on race.
  • People of many races joined the neighborhood project.
  • The lesson explained how ideas about race changed over time.

Forms

race · races