nègre

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See also: negre, négre, Negre, and Nègre

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French negre, from Spanish or Portuguese negro, itself from Latin niger. Doublet of noir.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /nɛɡʁ/
  • (Quebec) IPA(key): /naɛ̯ɡʁ/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

nègre m (plural nègres, feminine négresse)

  1. (vulgar, offensive or dated) negro
    Synonyms: négro, noir
  2. (now sometimes offensive) ghostwriter
    un nègre littéraire
  3. (informal, derogatory, Louisiana, Cajun) friend, buddy
  4. (informal, Louisiana, Cajun) honey, baby, precious (term of endearment)

Usage notes

  • The term was not considered offensive a few decades ago, referring merely to the colour of the skin.
  • In Cajun French, nègre has no racial connotation. It is a term of endearment for a young boy.
  • The preferred form for ghostwriter is prête-plume, as the term nègre has pejorative connotations. The expression is still largely used, sometimes in the softened form nègre littéraire, perhaps because this meaning is strongly metaphorical and only distantly related.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • German: Neger (Negerin)
  • Swedish: neger

Adjective

nègre (plural nègres)

  1. (relational) of the Blacks of Africa or of African arts
  2. black (color)

Usage notes

  • This term is not considered pejorative as an adjective, but due to the associations of the noun, is often replaced with africain.

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

Anagrams