What does negro mean?
The noun “negro” is a historical term for a Black person, especially someone of African descent. It is now regarded as offensive in ordinary contemporary English and is normally avoided outside historical quotation, discussion of racism, or contexts in which an individual uses it as a chosen identity term. The word also survives as an archaic adjective in older labels and names, including some historical movements, music, and cultural expressions. Its history is closely connected with European colonialism, racial classification, and the transatlantic slave trade. Although the term can appear in older works and official documents, modern speakers generally prefer terms such as “Black person” or “person of African descent.” The word's continuing presence in historical and cultural names reflects the need to preserve and explain the past, while its use as a label for people today remains widely condemned.
A historical and now offensive term for a Black person or a person of African descent.
"The author avoided the offensive noun and instead used the term preferred by the people described."
Avoided in ordinary contemporary use except in historical quotation, discussion of racism, or an individual's chosen self-identification.
Archaic: black, dark-skinned, or relating to Black people.
"The phrase survives in the title of an early collection of spiritual songs."
The adjectival use is historical and is generally considered offensive in modern language.
The standard historical plural of the offensive noun; it is generally avoided in contemporary English outside quoted or explicitly historical material.
"The passage used the historical plural because it was reproducing wording from an old document."
Once a broad historical label, this word is now recognized as a racial slur and is generally avoided outside discussions of history, racism, or self-identification.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does negro come from?
English borrowed the word from Spanish, where “negro” means “black” and derives from the Latin adjective “niger,” meaning black. The term entered English during the period of European expansion and the transatlantic slave trade, when racial labels were used to classify and describe forcibly displaced Africans and their descendants. The related English words “nigritude,” “nigrescence,” and “nigrify” also trace their forms to Latin roots associated with blackness.
Related word forms
How negro is actually used
The term is considered offensive and is generally avoided in contemporary English. It may appear in historical quotations, discussion of racism and racial language, or as a person's chosen identity; capitalization does not make it neutral.
Easily confused with negro
The capitalized form may appear in the names of historical movements, organizations, or people, but it remains an offensive term in ordinary modern usage.