Etymology

blackity-black

Today it means: Typifying characteristic traits (e.g. physical, cultural, linguistic, etc.) of African-American blacks, especially in defiant contrast to those of whites or white-favouring blacks; quintessentially or characteristically black Full definition →

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The story

Uncertain. Perhaps from blackedy (“characteristically black”) + black, with reduplication serving to intensify or stress the focus on being black (i.e. African-American); blackedy being equivalent to blacked + -y; or alternatively a corruption of blackedly black. Compare blacked up. For the spelling with -ity, see -ety, -ity.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.