Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “blackface” come from?

Blackface comes from English black and English face, with black deriving from Middle English black, Old English blæc, and Latin facia ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bhleg-.

blackface (English): A style of makeup in which a non-black person...

Definitions

  1. A style of makeup in which a non-black person...

Ancestry of “blackface”, step by step

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

Words derived from “blackface”

  • blackfacing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- →