Where does “blackboy” come from?

blackboy (English) comes from English Black, from Old French blanc, from Late Latin blancus, from Frankish blank, from Proto-Germanic *blank, from Proto-Germanic blankaz, from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- — to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch.

blackboy (English): An Aboriginal boy or servant; Any plant in the...

Definitions

  1. An Aboriginal boy or servant; Any plant in the...

Ancestry of “blackboy”, step by step

blackboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Black

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBlackAlternative letter-case form of black
2Old Frenchblancwhite
3Late Latinblancuswhite
4Frankishblankbright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,...
5Proto-Germanic*blank
6Proto-Germanicblankazbright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbhleg-to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch

via English boy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboyA young male; A male child: a son of any age; A...
2Middle Englishboyeservant, commoner, knave, boy
3Old Englishbōiaboy
4Proto-Germanicbōjôyounger brother, young male relation
5Proto-Germanicbō-A stem meaning "father, brother, close male...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bhleg-Every word from Proto-Germanic blankazEvery word from Proto-Germanic *blank