Is USDC the same as Ethereum?

Could you clarify something for me? I've been hearing a lot about USDC and Ethereum lately, and I'm trying to wrap my head around the differences. Are USDC and Ethereum essentially the same thing? I've seen them mentioned in the same breath, but I'm not sure if they serve similar purposes or if they're entirely distinct entities. Could you break it down for me in a way that's easy to understand? I'm still new to this cryptocurrency world and I'm trying to get a solid foundation.