Where does “nigger-fish” come from?
nigger-fish (English) comes from English Fish, from Old English fiscian, from Proto-West Germanic fiskōn, from Proto-Germanic fiskōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
nigger-fish (English): A Caribbean grouper, yellowfish, coney (Cephalopholis fulva) (syn. Epinephelus punctatus, Enneacentrus punctatus (family Serranidae))
Definitions
- A Caribbean grouper, yellowfish, coney (Cephalopholis fulva) (syn. Epinephelus punctatus, Enneacentrus punctatus (family Serranidae))
Ancestry of “nigger-fish”, step by step
nigger-fish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English nigger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nigger | A black person; a person of black African... |
| 2 | English | neger | Synonym of nigger |
| 3 | French | nègre | negro; ghostwriter; friend, buddy |
| 4 | Spanish | negro | black; a black person; ghost writer |
| 5 | Latin | nigrum | masculine accusative singular of niger; neuter... |
| 6 | Latin | niger | wan, shining black; bad; evil; ill-omened |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |