Where does “nigger” come from?

nigger (Danish) comes from English nigger, from English neger, from French nègre, from Spanish negro, from Latin nigrum, from Latin niger, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

nigger (Danish): nigger; a dark-skinned person, especially a...

Definitions

  1. nigger; a dark-skinned person, especially a...

Ancestry of “nigger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishniggerA black person; a person of black African...
2EnglishnegerSynonym of nigger
3Frenchnègrenegro; ghostwriter; friend, buddy
4Spanishnegroblack; a black person; ghost writer
5Latinnigrummasculine accusative singular of niger; neuter...
6Latinnigerwan, shining black; bad; evil; ill-omened
7Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
8Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European nókʷtsEvery word from Latin niger