Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “timber nigger” come from?

timber nigger (English) comes from English nigger, 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.

timber nigger (English): A Native American person, especially one of...

Definitions

  1. A Native American person, especially one of...

Ancestry of “timber nigger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishniggerA black person; a person of black African...
2EnglishnegerSynonym of nigger
3Frenchnègrenegro; ghostwriter; friend, buddy
4Spanishnegroblack; a black person; ghost writer
5Latinnigrummasculine accusative singular of niger; neuter...
6Latinnigerwan, shining black; bad; evil; ill-omened
7Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
8Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →