nigger

nigger · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromniger“black”
2. Spanish · derived fromnegro
3. Middle French · derived fromnègre“a black person”
4. English todaynigger

Alteration of earlier neger, from Middle French nègre (“a black person”), from Spanish negro. Ultimately from Latin niger (“black”), thus a doublet of negro and noir. The expected Modern English pronunciation would be with /iː/; compare neger. The modern pronunciation with /ɪ/ may be due to influence from the Latin etymon (compare the older Southern US pronunciation of negro with /ɪ/), but compare the dialectal American pronunciations of eagle and eager as /ˈɪɡəl/ and /ˈɪɡɚ/. Compare Danish neger, Swedish neger, German Neger, Dutch neger. First use appears c. 1577, in the writings of Edward Hellowes (fl. 1574–1601).

Nigger · proper noun²

In reference to the color black, from nigger.

Nigger · proper noun³

Blend of Niger + nigger.

Words from the same roots