Ngawit saking basa Inggris modern   kantos ritengahing abad kaping-19, etnik kawigunang sane mateges kafir utawi pagan (manut pikayunan saking "bangsa-bangsa" sane matiosan sane durung nyarengin oikumene Kristen), sekadi Septuagint ngawigunayang ta ethne ("bangsa-bangsa") anggen ngartiang   jadma ibrani goyim "bangsa-bangsa, non-ibrani miwah non-Yahudi".
In Early Modern English and until the mid-19th century, ethnic was used to mean heathen or pagan (in the sense of disparate "nations" which did not yet participate in the Christian oikumene), as the Septuagint used ta ethne ("the nations") to translate the Hebrew goyim "the nations, non-Hebrews, non-Jews".