Where does “blackfacing” come from?

blackfacing (English) comes from English blackface, 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.

blackfacing (English): performance in blackface makeup

Definitions

  1. performance in blackface makeup

Ancestry of “blackfacing”, step by step

blackfacing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English blackface

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishblackfaceA style of makeup in which a non-black person...
2EnglishBlackAlternative letter-case form of black
3Old Frenchblancwhite
4Late Latinblancuswhite
5Frankishblankbright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,...
6Proto-Germanic*blank
7Proto-Germanicblankazbright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbhleg-to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch

via English ing

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishingA meadow, especially a low meadow near a river;...
2Middle Englishing
3Old Englishingmeadow, water meadow, ing
4Old Norseengmeadow
5Proto-GermanicangijōA low lying meadow in a valley or near a river
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂énkoscurve, bend
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bhleg-
blackfacing — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer