Where does “darkey” come from?
Darkey is formed from English dark with the English suffix -y, ultimately deriving from Latin -ia, a suffix forming abstract nouns and feminine adjectives.
darkey (English): A person with dark skin; A dark lantern
Definitions
- A person with dark skin; A dark lantern
Ancestry of “darkey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dark | Having an absolute or relative lack of light;... |
| 2 | Middle English | derk | dark |
| 3 | Old English | deorc | dark |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | derk | dirty; dark |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | derkaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg-o-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg- | to dim, darken; dim, dull; dark, dusky |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |