negro
adjectivenouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈniːɡɹəʊ//
- United States//ˈniɡɹoʊ//
- //ˈnɪɡɹoʊ//
- //ˈnɪɡɹə//
Relating to a black ethnicity.
adjective
- 1
datedRelating to a black ethnicity.
- 2
datedBlack or dark brown in color.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese negro (“black”), from Latin nigrum (“shiny black”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare; night”). Doublet of noir. Compare nigrescence.
noun
- 1
datedA person of black African ancestry.
The negroes believe that its presence has a sanitary effect upon their cattle […]
What Peter said was true but she hated to hear it from a negro and a family negro, too. Not to stand high in the opinion of one's servants was a humiliating a thing as could happen to a Southerner.
There were two negros who were guilty of thieving; he went and had them both shot, and gave notice that he would put all to death who kept disturbing the property of the white people, and kept confusion in their land.
His parents had always said that the area he grew up in had been a nice place to live before 'those Negros invaded'.
- 2
archaicA slave, especially one of African ancestry.
We don't want your Negroes, or your horses, or your lands, or any thing you have, but we do want and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and if it involved the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it.
Forms
- plural
- negroes, negros