the term Negro was advanced by the American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguesenegro(“black”), from Latinnigrum(“shiny black”), of uncertain origin,[1] but possibly from Proto-Indo-European*negʷ-(“bare; night”).[2] Doublet of noir.
Pronunciation
(General American) IPA(key): /ˈniɡɹoʊ/
(obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈnɪɡɹoʊ/[3]
(Southern US, dated) IPA(key): /ˈnɪɡɹə/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈniːɡɹəʊ/
Audio (Southern England):
(file)
Adjective
negro (not comparable)
(dated, now offensive) Relating to a black ethnicity.
1963 April, “Anti-bias Coffee Klatsch: Windy City Interfaith Project Fights Bigotry with Coffee, Cookies and Conversation”, in Ebony, volume XVIII, number 6, Chicago, Ill.: Johnson Publishing Company, →ISSN, page 67:Recently, on a wintry Sunday, some 2,500 white Chicago area residents embarked on a strange safari across the city, determined to do what most of them had never done before—visit a Negro home. Eager to purge themselves of ignorance about the city's "other half," they were participants in Interracial Home Visit Day, a "Coffee Klatsch" co-sponsored by local Catholic, Jewish and Protestant groups in an effort to eliminate racial bigotry and hate.
(dated, now offensive) Black or dark brown in color.
Usage notes
As the primary term for persons of Black African ancestry during the 18th, 19th, and early and middle 20th century, negro is now considered less immediately offensive than various other slurs and more connected more subtle forms of racial prejudice. W. E. B. Du Bois in particular advocated strenuously for the use of capitalized Negro in preference to colored/coloured, which became less common by the 1920s, but in the United States the word negro now is considered acceptable only in polite historical contexts or in specific proper names such as the United Negro College Fund. Black and black (which replaced negro as part of the Black Power and black pride movements from 1966 onward) or the more recent African-American (from the 1980s) are the preferred alternatives, with neither being categorically preferred in all contexts. As a self-designation, negro was still preferred on average as late as 1968, while black became clearly more common by 1974. Usage in publications followed.[4] See also discussion on this topic at Wikipedia.
Related terms
negress
negritude
negroid
Translations
offensive: relating to the black ethnicity
Bulgarian: негър (bg)(negǎr)
Finnish: neekeri- (fi)
French: nègre (fr)
German: schwarz (de)
Japanese: 黒人 (ja)(kokujin), 黒子 (ja)(kuroko)
Persian: کاکاسیاه(kākāsiyāh)(vulgar)
Polish: czarny (pl)
Spanish: negratac(derogatory)
black or dark brown in color
Bulgarian: чернокожm(černokož)
German: schwarz (de)
Italian: nero (it)
Maori: kirimangu
Polish: czarny (pl)
Portuguese: negro (pt)
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations. Translations to be checked
Slovak: (please verify) černošský, (please verify) čierny
Noun
negro (plural negroes or negros)
(dated, now offensive) A person of black African ancestry.
1867, Mayne Reid, Quadrupeds: what they are and where found, page 141:The negroes believe that its presence has a sanitary effect upon their cattle […]
1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, page 675:What Peter said was true but she hated to hear it from a negro and a family negro, too. Not to stand high in the opinion of one's servants was a humiliating a thing as could happen to a Southerner.
2003, Benjamin Hawkins, Howard Thomas Foster, The Collected Works of Benjamin Hawkins, 1796–1810, page 259:There were two negros who were guilty of thieving; he went and had them both shot, and gave notice that he would put all to death who kept disturbing the property of the white people, and kept confusion in their land.
2010, Ryan Acheson, Chalk, page 68:His parents had always said that the area he grew up in had been a nice place to live before 'those Negros invaded'.
(archaic) A slave, especially one of African ancestry.
1864, William Tecumseh Sherman, General William Tecumseh Sherman to the Mayor and Councilmen of Atlanta[3]:We don't want your Negroes, or your horses, or your lands, or any thing you have, but we do want and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and if it involved the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it.
Western Apache: Indaa diłhiłé, Innaa diłhiłé, Ndaa diłhiłé, Nnaa diłhiłé
Yiddish: נעגערm(neger), נעגערטעf(negerte)
See also
barro negro
mulatto
octaroon
quadroon
References
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
^ Watkins, Calvert, editor (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots, 2nd edition, Boston (Mass.): Houghton Mifflin, →ISBN
^ McDavid, Raven Ioor Jr. (1960), “19. A Study in Ethnolinguistics”, in William A. Kretzschmar, Jr., editor, Dialects in culture: essays in general dialectology[1], University, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, published 1979, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 147.
^ Palmer, Brian (11 January 2010), “When Did the Word Negro Become Taboo?”, in Slate[2], Washington, DC: The Slate Group: “The turning point came when Stokely Carmichael coined the phrase black power at a 1966 rally in Mississippi.”
1897 June, A. Kofman, “El Heine: La sklavoŝipo”, in Lingvo Internacia, volume 2, numbers 6-7, page 89:“Ses centojn da negroj mi ĉe SenegalAkiris je prezo profita,Malmola viando, simila al ŝton’,La membroj — el ŝtalo forĝita.”“600 negros at Senegal I acquired at a profitable price, hard meat, like stone, the members—from steel forged.”
Derived terms
negreco(“negritude”)
negristo(“a slave merchant of Negros”)
negroida(“negroid”)
Galician
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguesenegro, from Latinnigrum.
1995, Xesús Manuel Valcárcel, O capitán lobo negro:O vello leñador, sabio e taimado, observaba a acción distante, [...], atento unicamente a rafar o pan negro na cunca de caldo morno.The old lumberjack, wise and crafty, watched the distant commotion, ..., focused only on crumbling the black bread in the bowl with warm broth.
1973, X. Gayoso Verga, Coa nosa xente:Matías e mais eu estabamos sentados acarón da lareira, eu cáseque detrás do caldeiro onde se coce a pitanza dos cochos; o cadeiro é grande e negro [...]Matias and I were seated in front of the fireplace, with me almost behind the cauldron where we prepare the feed for the pigs; the cauldron is big and black ...
(figurative) sad, unfortunate, ill-fated
1995, Xesús Manuel Valcárcel, O capitán lobo negro:Unha princesa enfeitizada que os malos designios e o negro destino converteron en mestra de escola [...]A cursed princess that was turned into a [mere] school teacher by vile plans and the unfortunate destiny ...
This last usage is, a priori, not pejorative; still, periphrases as persoade cor are usually preferred in formal context, if needed at all.
See also
Colors in Galician · cores(layout · text)
branco
gris
negro, preto
vermello; carmín
laranxa; castaño, marrón
amarelo; crema
verde lima
verde
menta; verde escuro
ciano; azul verdoso
cerúleo
azul
violeta; anil
maxenta; púrpura
rosa
References
“negro”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “negro”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “negro”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “negro”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
Interlingua
Noun
negro (plural negros)
black person, usually black man, negro
Related terms
negra
negre
Italian
Alternative forms
nero
Etymology
From Latinnigrum. The offensive senses derive from the anglophone usage of Spanishnegro.
From Old Spanishnegro(“black”). Cognate with Spanishnegro.
Adjective
negro
bad Synonym:malo
1979, Kamelia Shahar, “La verdadera felisidad”, in Aki Yerushalayim, number 1, page 5:Eliau Anavi ke lo estava mirando d'enfrente se aserko de el i le disho: Dime ombre, deke estas de negra umor ?The prophet Elijah, who was watching him from across, approached him and said: Tell me, man, why are you in a bad mood?
2018 November 21, Silvyo OVADYA, “Un fotografo modesto ma korajoso”, in Şalom[4]:Ma estos diyas, la mas grande partida de los filmos negativos estan en una negra situasyon en la umidita de un vyejo apartamento.But these days, the majority of the film negatives are in a bad situation in the dampness of an old apartment.
a.1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 68 (facsimile):[…] chus negro ca pez. […] blacker than pitch.
1281, Clarinda de Azevedo Maia (ed.), História do galego-português. Estado linguístico da Galiza e do Noroeste de Portugal do século XII ao século XVI (com referência á situação do galego moderno). Coimbra: I.N.I.C., page 133: Mando o meu manto de broneta negra a Eluira Ffernandez de Uilar I bequeath my robe of black brunet cloth to Elvira Fernandez de Vilar
Synonym:preto
(figurative) sad, unfortunate, ill-fated
1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 467:seméllame, fillo, que ora son cõpridos de tj os soños que eu sonaua et as uisiões que uij́a et as coytas grãdes que sofría ẽno coraçõ, que cada día se me fazía negro et triste.it seems to me, my son, that now you have accomplished the dreams I dreamed and the visions I envisioned and the big sorrows I suffered in my heart, that each day was black and sad to me
1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 742:en negra ora naçíAt an unfortunate hour I was born
Descendants
Galician: negro
Portuguese: negro
Papiamentu: negru
See also
Colors in Old Galician-Portuguese · coores, colores(layout · text)
branco, blanco, alvo
gris
negro, preto
vermelho
castanho
amarelo
verde
azur
cardẽo
rosa
References
Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “negro”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “negr”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Portuguese
buraco negrohomem negro
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguesenegro, from Latinnigrum.
(possibly offensive) black; negro(dark-skinned person)Synonyms:(formal)afrodescendente, preto, (Brazil, colloquial)nego
2018, “Minotauro de Borges”, performed by Baco Exu do Blues:Pisando no céu enquanto eles se perguntamComo esse negro não caiDizem que o céu é o limiteEles se perguntamPor que esse negro não caiStepping on da sky while they wondaHow this nigga don't fallThey say da sky is da limitThey be wonderin'Why this nigga don't fall
Adjective
negro (feminine negra, masculine plural negros, feminine plural negras, comparable, comparative mais negro, superlative o mais negroor negríssimo, diminutive negrinho, augmentative negrão)
(somewhat formal) black in colour Synonym:preto(colloquial)
black; dark-skinned Synonym:preto
(literary) dark (sometimes associated with evil)Cavaleiro negro. ― Dark knight.Matéria negra. ― Dark matter.
Derived terms
negão
nego
negreiro
negroide
negrume
neguinho
Related terms
negritude
nigrescente
nigro-
Descendants
Papiamentu: negru
Further reading
“negro”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
“negro”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Latinnigrum.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈneɡɾo/[ˈne.ɣ̞ɾo]
Audio (Spain):
(file)
Rhymes: -eɡɾo
Syllabification: ne‧gro
Noun
negrom (plural negros)
black (the color perceived in the absence of light)Antonym:blanco
2016 April 18, “Mario Vaquerizo, fan del 15M y de Federico Jiménez Losantos”, in El Confidencial[5]:Es improbable, casi imposible, que haya sido escrito por un negro, al estilo de Belén Esteban, David Beckham y Ana Rosa Quintana.It's unlikely, almost impossible, that it was written by a ghost writer, in the style of Belén Esteban, David Beckham and Ana Rosa Quintana.
black (absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless)Antonym:blanco
black (of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin)Synonym:prieto(Louisiana)
dirty Synonyms:sucio, cerdo
sad Synonym:triste
clandestine Synonym:clandestino
(Spain) angry Synonym:rabiosoestá negro ― he's in a rage
(Latin America) ( mi ~) my darling, my honey Synonyms:querido, amado
Derived terms
negrillo, negrito(diminutives)
aceituna negra
agua negra
aguilucho negro
agujero negro
albinegro
algarrobo negro
aliso negro
arroz negro
bandera negra
beleño negro
beso negro
bestia negra
bilis negra
boda de negros
bolsa negra
buitre negro
caimán negro
caja negra
camarina negra
carbonero cresta negra
carbonero negro
carinegro
carpe negro
carpintero negro
chacal de lomo negro
cigüeña negra
cine negro
cisne negro
colinegro
como un negro
cuellinegro
cuerpo negro
dejar negro
dinero negro
duraznillo negro
eléboro negro
en blanco y negro
en negro
enana negra
gaviotín negro
gordolobo negro
grabado en negro
grosella negra
hoyo negro
humor negro
lechuza negra
Leyenda Negra
lista negra
luz negra
magia negra
maíz negro
mano negra
mar Negro
marea negra
mercado negro
merienda de negros
Montenegro
negro como un zapato
negro de humo
negro de la uña
negro sobre blanco
novela negra
nueza negra
oreja de negro
oro negro
oso negro
oveja negra
palo negro
palqui negro
pantera negra
perdiz negra
peste negra
pimienta negra
pino negro
pito negro
poner negro
pozo negro
punto negro
rama negra
relleno negro
renegrido
rinoceronte negro
sacar lo que el negro del sermón
sangre negra
sopa negra
té negro
tierra negra
trabajar como un negro
trabajo en negro
trompeta negra
trompetilla negra
verdinegro
verlo todo negro
viuda negra
zapote negro
Descendants
→ English: negro(or via Portuguese), nigro(cross-loan with Latin niger, obsolete), nigra[1900s]
→ French: nègre
→ Dutch: neger
→ English: neger
⇒ English: niger, nigger, nigga(cross-loan with Latinniger)
→ Danish: nigger
→ Dutch: nikker
→ German: Nigger
→ Norwegian: nigger
→ Swedish: nigger
→ German: Neger
→ Norwegian: neger
→ Swedish: neger
→ Russian: негр(negr)
→ French: négro
See also
Colors in Spanish · colores(layout · text)
blanco
gris
negro
rojo; carmín, carmesí
naranja, anaranjado; marrón
amarillo; crema
lima
verde
menta
cian, turquesa; azul-petróleo
celeste, cerúleo
azul
violeta; añil, índigo
magenta; morado, púrpura
rosa, rosado
Further reading
“negro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanishnegro, from Latinnigrum.
Pronunciation
(Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈneɡɾo/[ˈn̪ɛː.ɡɾo]
Rhymes: -eɡɾo
Syllabification: ne‧gro
Adjective
negro (Baybayin spelling ᜈᜒᜄ᜔ᜇᜓ)
(colloquial, usually derogatory, potentially offensive) having dark pigmentation of the skin
Noun
negro (feminine negra, Baybayin spelling ᜈᜒᜄ᜔ᜇᜓ)
(colloquial, usually derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) one with dark pigmentation of the skin, such as those of African descent with sub-Saharan origin Synonyms:(slang)nognog, (slang)egoy
(archaic, rare) black (the color perceived in the absence of light)
Usage notes
When heard by African Americans visiting or living in the Philippines, the term is often considered offensive due to its derogatory sense in English and associations with the term, nigger, in English, although the term is not used very often due to the meager and sparse population of those of sub-Saharan origin in the Philippines.
Derived terms
kanegrohan
magpanegro
makanegro
makinegro
nanegro
napakanegro
negrohin
pagkakanegro
pagkanegro
pangnegro
pinakanegro
Related terms
negra
Negra
Negrense
Negrito
Negro
Negros
Negros del Norte
Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
poso-negro
singko-negritos
Further reading
“negro”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.
