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Negro is a term referring to people of Black African ancestry. Prior to the shift in the lexicon of American and worldwide classification of race and ethnicity in the late 1960s, the appellation was accepted as a normal neutral formal term both by those of African descent as well as non-African blacks. Now it is often considered an ethnic slur^[1][2][3] although the term is still used in some contexts for historical reasons such as in the name of the United Negro College Fund^[4]. "Negro" means "black" in Spanish and Portuguese, and the Italian "nero" is similar (Latin: niger = "black"). Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used to refer to members of a given ethnicity (or in some cases, nationality, region, or religion) in a derogatory or pejorative manner. ... United Negro College Fund logo The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for African-American students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ...

Modern synonyms in common use include:

• "black"
• "dark-skinned" or "swarthy"
• "African" (though White Africans and some North African groups can be considered African but not Negroes)
• "African American" in the United States
• "Colored" in the United States (In the Commonwealth, the term is usually synonymous with "mixed-race".)

Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... White African people are descendants of Europeans who settled on the continent of Africa under colonial rule. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article is about the term used for people of African descent in North America. ... For other uses, see Commonwealth (disambiguation). ... The terms multiracial, biracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a single race. ...

In English

Around 1442, the Portuguese first arrived in sub-Saharan Africa while trying to find a sea route to India. The term negro, literally meaning "black", was used by the Spanish and Portuguese to refer to people. From the 18th century to the mid-20th century, "negro" (later capitalized) was considered the proper English term for all people of sub-Saharan African origin. Satellite image of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area African countries considered sub-Saharan Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially...

It fell out of favor by the 1970s in the United States after the Civil Rights movement. However, it is necessary to note that older African Americans from the period when "Negro" was considered acceptable, initially found the term "Black" more offensive than "Negro". Evidence for this is in historical African-American organizations and institutions' utilization of the term--such as the United Negro College Fund. In current English language usage, "Negro" is generally considered acceptable in a historical context or in the name of older organizations, as in Negro spirituals, the United Negro College Fund or the Journal of Negro Education. The U.S. Census now uses the grouping "Black or African American." Historically, the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately one generation (1960-1980) wherein there was much worldwide civil unrest and popular rebellion. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... United Negro College Fund logo The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for African-American students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A spiritual is a African-American song, usually with a religious text. ... United Negro College Fund logo The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for African-American students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. ... The U.S. Census is mandated by the United States Constitution. ...

A specifically female form of the word—negress (sometimes capitalized) —was sometimes used; but, like another gender-specific word "Jewess", it has all but completely fallen from use. (An exception is its extremely unusual use in the titles of paintings, drawings[1] and sculptures,[2] largely as an allusion to the formerly common occurrence of the word in such titles, but such usage has dropped off dramatically.) Both are considered racist and sexist, although as with other racial, ethnic, and sexual words that are seen as pejoratives, some individuals have tried "reclaiming" the word. An example of this is artist Kara Walker. [3] This box:      Racism has many definitions, the most common and widely accepted is that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. Kara Walker (born November 26, 1969) is a contemporary American artist who is best known for her exploration of race, gender, sexuality, Violence and identity in her artworks. ...

The related word Negroid was used by 19th and 20th century racial anthropologists. The suffix -oid means "similar to" and is meant to designate a wider or more generalized category than the original word. Negroid is an adjective derived from the term Negro and refers to a presumed race of people mostly from sub-Saharan Africa. ... This is about the social science. ... -oid is a suffix much used in the sciences and mathematics to indicate a similarity, not necessarily exact, to something else. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, -oid is derived from the Latin suffix -oides taken from Greek and meaning having the likeness of. Thus, asteroid means like a star...

In other languages

In Portuguese, negro is an adjective meaning the color black, as in 'black' person. However, preto is the most common antonym of branco (white), while negro can be condescending, since it is a word generally associated with higher registers. In Brazil the word is considered respectful and the appropriate manner to refer to the black race,^{[citation needed]} though it is often considered impolite to take note of an individual's skin color in any context (which causes the word to be used only in reported speech or in third-person). Look up Antonym in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In linguistics, a register is a subset of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. ...

Further information: pt:Negro#Negro ou preto?

In Spain, negro (note that ethnonyms are generally not capitalized in Romance languages) means "black person" in colloquial situations, but it can be considered derogatory in other situations (for example, by French influence, negro is also the word for a ghost writer^[5]). However, in Spanish-speaking countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay , negro (negra for females) is commonly used to refer to partners, close friends^[5] or people in general independent of skin color. An ethnonym (Gk. ... This article is about a ghostwriter, the type of writer. ...

It is similar to the use of the word "nigga" in urban communities in the U.S. For example, one may say to a friend, "Negro ¿Como andas? (Literally, "Hey, black man, how are you doing?") In this case the diminutive negrito is used, as a term of endearment meaning "pal", or "buddy" or "friend." Negrito has come to be used to refer to a person of any ethnicity or color, and also can have a sentimental or romantic connotation similar to "sweetheart," or "dear" in English. (In the Philippines, Negrito was used for a local dark-skinned short person, living in the Negros islands among other places) Ati woman Negrito refers a dwindling ethnic group which is now restricted to parts of Southeast Asia. ... Map of the Philippines showing the location of Negros. ...

In other Spanish-speaking South American countries, the word negro can also be employed in a roughly equivalent form, though it is not usually considered to be as widespread as in Argentina or Uruguay (except perhaps in a limited regional and/or social context). South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

The popular Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa is nicknamed "La Negra" by her fans, which in this case refers to the colour of her hair rather than of her skin. Mercedes Sosa (born 9 July 1935) is an Argentine singer immensely popular throughout Latin America. ...

Moreno^[6] can be used as a euphemism but it also means just "tanned" or brunette. Moreno is Spanish and Portuguese for a tanned or dark or brown-skinned person. ... Brunette is the feminine of French brunet, which is a diminutive of brun, brune, meaning brown or dark-haired, ultimately from Latin BRVNVS (brown). ...

In Haitian Creole the word nèg, derived from the French "nègre", refers to a dark-skinned man; it can also be used for any man, regardless of skin color, roughly like "guy" or "dude" in American English. Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen) is a creole language based on the French language. ...

The Dutch "neger" is generally (but not universally) considered as neutral, or at least less negative than "zwarte" (black one).^{[citation needed]}

In Russia the term "негр" (negr) was commonly used in the Soviet period without any negative connotation, and its use continues in this neutral sense.^{[citation needed]} In modern Russian media, the word is used somewhat less frequently "африканцы" ("Africans") or "афро-американцы"("Afro-Americans") are used instead, depending on the situation), but is still common in oral speech. The word "black" (чёрный) used as a form of address is pejorative, although it is primarily used with respect to peoples of the Caucasus, natives of Central Asia, and not black people. For the term Caucasian referring to all white people, see Caucasian race. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ...

The names of two African countries, Niger and Nigeria, are derived from the same etymological origin.

References

The Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española or DRAE is the most authoritative dictionary of Castilian Spanish. ...

Further reading

• P. A. Bruce, The Plantation Negro as a Freeman, (New York, 1889)
• Edward Ingle, The Negro in the District of Columbia, (Baltimore, 1893)
• W. E. B. DuBois, The Negroes of the Black Belt, (Washington, 1899)
• B. T. Washington, The Future of the American Negro, (Boston, 1899)
• Claude Bernard-Aubert, My Baby Is Black!, (Hollywood, 1965)
• Montgomery Conference Proceedings, (Montgomery, 1900)
• J. A. Tillinghast, The Negro in Africa and America, (New York, 1902)
• T. N. Page, The Negro: The Southerner's Problem, (New York, 1904)
• Library of Congress, List of Discussions of Negro Suffrage, (Washington, 1906)
• W. E. Fleming, Slavery and the Race Problem in the South, (Boston, 1907)
• Jackson and Davis, Industrial History of the Negro Race in America, (Richmond, 1908)
• A. H. Stone, Studies in the American Race Problem, (New York, 1908)
• W. P. Pickett, The Negro Problem, ISBN 0837122007 (New York, 1909)
• E. G. Murphy, The Basis of Ascendency, (New York, 1909)
• Stevenson, Race Distinctions in American Law, (New York, 1910)
• A. B. Hart, The Southern South, (New York, 1910)
• W. P. Livingstone, The Race Conflict, (London, 1911)
• B. G. Brawley, A Short History of the American Negro, (New York, 1913)
• The Negro Year Book, (Nashville, et. seq.)
• "Negroes in the United States," in Bulletin of the United States Census Bureau, (Washington, 1915)
• A. D. Mayo, Third Estate of the South, (Boston, 1890)
• J. L. M. Curry, Education of the Negro since 1860, (Baltimore, 1894)
• J. L. M. Curry, A Brief Sketch of George Peabody and a History of the Peabody Education Fund through Thirty Years, (Cambridge, 1898)
• W. H. Thomas, The American Negro, (New York, 1901)
• Sadler, "The Education of the Colored Race", in Special Reports of Great Britain Education Board, volume xi, (London, 1902)
• Kate Brousseau, L'Education des nègres aux Etats-Unis, (Paris, 1904)
• B. T. Washington, Education of the Negro, (new edition, New York, 1904)
• W. E. B. DuBois, "A Select Bibliography of the American Negro for General Readers," in Atlantic University Publications, (Atlanta, 1901)
• C. B. Davenport Heredity of Skin-Color in Negro-White Crosses, Carnegie Institution Publication Number 188 (1913)
• C. H. Vail Socialism and the Negro Problem (1903)

W. E. B. DuBois William Edward Burghardt DuBois (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an African-American civil rights activist, sociologist, freemason, and scholar. ... Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author and leader of the African American community. ... Thomas Nelson Page (b. ... Edgar Gardner Murphy (1869-1913) was an American clergyman and author. ... Albert Bushnell Hart (July 1, 1854 - July 16, 1943), American historian, was born at Clarksville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania. ... Amory Dwight Mayo (1823-1907) was an American clergyman and educator, born at Warwick, Mass. ... Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, (June 5, 1825 – February 12, 1903) born in Lincoln County, Georgia, grew up in Alabama and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1843. ... Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, (June 5, 1825 – February 12, 1903) born in Lincoln County, Georgia, grew up in Alabama and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1843. ... George Peabody (February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Peabody Institute. ... Founded of necessity due to damages caused largely by the War of the Rebellion, the Peabody Education Fund was established by George Peabody in 1867 for the purpose of promoting intellectual, moral, and industrial education in the most destitute portion of the Southern States. ... Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author and leader of the African American community. ... W. E. B. DuBois William Edward Burghardt DuBois (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an African-American civil rights activist, sociologist, freemason, and scholar. ... Charles Benedict Davenport ( June 1, 1866 — February 18, 1944) was a prominent American biologist and eugenicist. ... The Carnegie Institution of Washington (CIW) is a foundation established by Andrew Carnegie in 1902 to support scientific research. ... Charles Henry Vail (1866- ) was an American Universalist clergyman and writer on Socialism. ...

See also

Look up negro in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Human skin color
• Race (classification of human beings)
• Free Negro
• African American or Black people
• Creole
• Quadroon
• Ethnic slur
  • Coloured, Colored
  • Mulatto
  • Nigger