Etymology Explorer › Spanish

Where does “negro” come from?

negro (Spanish) comes from Latin nigrum, from Latin niger, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

negro (Spanish): black; a black person; ghost writer

Definitions

  1. black; a black person; ghost writer

Ancestry of “negro”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinnigrummasculine accusative singular of niger; neuter...
2Latinnigerwan, shining black; bad; evil; ill-omened
3Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
4Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked

Words derived from “negro”

  • Negro
  • nigger
  • nigga
  • nog
  • negritude
  • eggnog
  • Negrito
  • Niggertown
  • Negrophobia
  • neger
  • nogging
  • niggerhead
  • Negrohood
  • niggerless
  • Negrillo
  • niggerism
  • nikka
  • niggery
  • niggerization
  • niggering
  • Negrophobe
  • niggerish
  • niggerness
  • niggerdom
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →