Where does “nigger” come from?
nigger (English) comes 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 (English): A black person; a person of black African...
Definitions
- A black person; a person of black African...
Ancestry of “nigger”, step by step
nigger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English neger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neger | Synonym of nigger |
| 2 | French | nègre | negro; ghostwriter; friend, buddy |
| 3 | Spanish | negro | black; a black person; ghost writer |
| 4 | Latin | nigrum | masculine accusative singular of niger; neuter... |
| 5 | Latin | niger | wan, shining black; bad; evil; ill-omened |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
via English niger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | niger | An Ethiopian herb, Guizotia abyssinica, grown for... |