Multiculturalism

Etymology

From "multi-" (Latin "multus," many) plus "cultural" plus "-ism." The term crystallized as official policy language in 1960s–1970s Canada, which formally adopted multiculturalism, and spread from there into wider political debate.

noun · /muhl-tee-KUL-cher-uh-liz-uhm/
The presence of, or a policy actively supporting, multiple distinct cultural groups coexisting within one society.
What it names
Both a demographic fact and a deliberate stance — that groups should retain their identities rather than dissolve into a single dominant culture.
Example
The city’s multiculturalism showed in a single block: a mosque, a Portuguese bakery, and a Vietnamese grocer.
Related idea
Related to pluralism but more specific: pluralism accepts diverse groups sharing power under common rules, while multiculturalism adds the positive claim that distinct cultural identities should be preserved and even publicly supported, not merely tolerated.