redskin
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English
Etymology 1
From red + skin. References to indigenous Americans' skin being red can be found from the 1580s, and ambiguous (disputed) instances of the term redskin or red skin exist from the 1690s, perhaps as straightforward references to that, or perhaps in reference to tribes such as the Beothuk painting themselves with red paint. However, the earliest unambiguous instances of the term are from the 1760s, apparently translating (via French peau-rouge) a native term from a tribe of the Mississippi Valley.
Alternative forms
Noun
redskin (plural redskins)
- (now sometimes considered an ethnic slur and offensive) A Native American.
- 1699?, Henry Smith or Samuel Smith or a relative, possibly quoting another colonist, in a letter quoted by a descendant (which, however, Ives Goddard argues is fake):
- Ye first Meeting House was solid mayde to withstande ye wicked onsaults of the Red Skins.
- 1699?, Henry Smith or Samuel Smith or a relative, possibly quoting another colonist, in a letter quoted by a descendant (which, however, Ives Goddard argues is fake):
Usage notes
Previously used neutrally, the word began to be used as a term of contempt in the late 1800s; it is now often considered offensive.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
an American Indian
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See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “redskin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “redskin”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- ^ “redskin”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- ^ “redskin”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading
- “redskin”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Etymology 2
Noun
redskin (plural redskins)
- (anarchism, communism) An anticapitalist skinhead.
- The Red & Anarchist Skinheads, a left‐wing splinter of the SHARP group, formed in 1993. It grew out of influences from the redskin culture in England.