pied noir

plural pieds noirs

1. Someone of European origin living in North Africa, especially Algeria, under French rule, particularly one who was repatriated to mainland France after Algerian independence.First known use 1960s

   Oran, the second city of Algeria, was even more European than Algiers; in fact, with 300,000 pied noir inhabitants to 150,000 Muslims, it was the only centre where they predominated.

   1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 47

   1 more example

   His parents were pieds-noirs from Algeria who moved to Morocco, so he spent early childhood in Tangier, leaving him with a love for the Mediterranean, a penchant for cultural mixing and an abiding affection for donkeys.

   2025 May 3, Leila Abboud, “Lunch with the FT: Jean-Luc Mélenchon”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3