nègre
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French negre, from Spanish or Portuguese negro, itself from Latin niger. Doublet of noir.
Pronunciation
Noun
nègre m (plural nègres, feminine négresse)
- (vulgar, offensive or dated) negro
- (now sometimes offensive) ghostwriter
- un nègre littéraire
- (informal, derogatory, Louisiana, Cajun) friend, buddy
- (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
Adjective
nègre (plural nègres)
- (relational) of the Blacks of Africa or of African arts
- 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
- alouette nègre
- Alouette nègre (“black lark”), Melanocorypha yeltoniensis (Alouette can be spelled with a “capital A” to emphasize the French name of the species) (cf. German: Mohrenlerche and Mohr)
Related terms
See also
- mélanoderme
Further reading
- “nègre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
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