What is the origin of the 'n ' word?

Question

I have to be careful because you're not allowed to say it these days, but I'm genuinely interested in the origins of what is now a nasty word referring to people with black skins. Perhaps it didn't even mean the same thing originally? Can anyone tell me when it was first used, what it meant then, and how it was derived? And when it became pejorative, because I have a feeling that in the beginning it was merely descriptive

Answer 1

The more pertinent question is why is it that out of all of the racial groups in existence, it is solely the white person that escapes been referred to in a pejorative manner.

I am black and my Jewish partner who is an accomplished academic pointed this out and if you think about it, what he says is entirely correct. What offensive and hurtful remarks are in existence which refer to white people? Blacks, Jews, Mexicans, Asians, Chinese people, Native American Indians, Aborigines, etc etc...all experience such labelling. White people do not.

Answer 2

It was derived from the Spanish word, "*****", which means black.

Answer 3

There was a country in Africa called Niger  - the decendents of people from here were called the "n" word

http://niger.africa.com/       (no where near wilkipeadia!)

Answer 4

The word negr_o (it won't let me type the actual word out), which is derived from the Latin word meaning "black".

Answer 5

It's a really offensive word and is only supposed to be said by an african american person.(I don't like using the term 'black') Back then when the Americans('whites') own the African Americans, the N-word was used in like...a stupid person and it was discrimination. I don't believe I would say this ever so I can give you a site that has people wondering about it.

http://www.funadvice.com/q/n_word

I don't believe this is fun advice at all but this was the best sight that could help you.

Answer 6

***** i guess

WTF i said  N-E-G-R-O

Answer 7

i searched it on wikipedia long time ago, because i also asked my self the same question.

i dont know exactly, but i know that in the old days, they used that to refer to black people.

but nowdays, its a badd word  because it means like black slaves.

thats why black people dont like it when we use itt

Answer 8

Firstly:

******* �� (ngr) KEY �

NOUN:

Offensive Slang

Used as a disparaging term for a Black person: "You can only be destroyed by believing that you really are what the white world calls a ******" (James Baldwin).

Used as a disparaging term for a member of any dark-skinned people.

Used as a disparaging term for a member of any socially, economically, or politically deprived group of people: "Gun owners are the new ******* . . . of society" (John Aquilino).

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ETYMOLOGY:

Alteration of dialectal neger, black person, from French n�gre, from Spanish ***** ; see *****

Secondly:

Ne�gro �� (ngr) KEY �

NOUN:

Often Offensive pl. Ne�groes

A Black person. See Usage Note at black.

A member of the ******* race. Not in scientific use.

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ETYMOLOGY:

Spanish, and Portuguese *****, black, Black person from Latin niger , nigr-, black; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:

***** (Adjective)

Thirdly: I've seen it originally defined as "a stupid person" in a dictionary when I was much younger, but I don't have a source for you on this one.

Answer 9

I can't speak for the history books, just from my own generation's use of the word.  The Spanish word for "Black" is "*****".  The "N" word was a pejorative, slang term used in place of that word.  The original objections were not towards the term "*****" but towards the "N" word and justifiably so.  People then started calling back-skinned people "Blacks".  That held for awhile and then the "Black-Power" movement got underway and Blacks in general wanted to be called "African-Americans" and wanted to celebrate their African heritage in their lifestyles here.  Now many "Blacks" just want to be called "Black" and don't want the African/American tag because they are Americans, not Africans but still want to recognize and celebrate their ancestory just like the rest of us.  

Answer 10

Earlier variants (such as "neger" or "negar") derive from the Spanish/Portuguese word "*****", meaning "black", and probably also the French "nègre", which has also been used pejoratively (but also positively as in Négritude), derived from "*****" (the ordinary French word for "black" being "noir"). Both "*****" and "noir" (and therefore also "nègre" and "******") ultimately come from "nigrum", the accusative form of the Latin word "niger" (pronounced [ˈniger], like "knee-ger" with the final r being trilled), simply meaning "black".

In Colonial America, "negars" was used in 1619 by John Rolfe, describing slaves shipped to Virginia colony.[5] Neger (sometimes spelled "neggar") also prevailed in northern New York under the Dutch and also in Philadelphia, in its Moravian and Pennsylvania Dutch communities. For example, the African Burial Ground in New York City was originally known as "Begraafplaats van de Neger" (Dutch phrase meaning "Cemetery of the *****" in English).

In the United States, "******" was once used by many as denotative of black skin, as it was in other parts of the English-speaking world. In nineteenth-century literature, there are many uses of the word with no derogatory connotation. Charles Dickens, and Joseph Conrad (who published The ****** of the 'Narcissus' in 1897) used the word in a non derogatory context. Mark Twain often put the word into the mouths of his characters, but did not use the word when writing as himself in his autobiographical Life on the Mississippi.

In the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world, the word was often used to refer to people of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Kashmiri, Indian or Sri Lankan descent, or merely to darker-skinned foreigners in general; in his 1926 Modern English Usage, H. W. Fowler observed that when the word was applied to "others than full or partial negroes," it was "felt as an insult by the person described, & betrays in the speaker, if not deliberate insolence, at least a very arrogant inhumanity." The note was excised from later editions of the book.

In the 1800s, as "******" began to acquire pejorative connotations, the term "colored" gained popularity as an alternative to "*****" and associated terms. For example, abolitionists in Boston, Massachusetts posted warnings to "Colored People of Boston and vicinity." The name of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People reflects the preference for this term at the time of the NAACP's founding in 1909.

Southern dialect in many parts of the southern United States changes the pronunciation of "*****" to "nigra" (used most famously by Lyndon B. Johnson, a proponent of civil rights). In the early editions of his dictionary, Noah Webster suggested the new spelling of "neger" for "*****".[6]

The noun "black" became an alternative term in the late 1960s, usage of which continues to the present day. In the United States this has been displaced to some extent by African American, at least in politically correct usage, though this blanket term does not accurately describe those from other African nations such as Morocco; this resembles the term Afro-American that was in vogue in the early 1970s. Nevertheless, "black" continues in widespread use as a racial designation in the United States.

Today the word is often spelled "*****" or "******", in imitation of the manner in which some pronounce it. less-common variants being "nigguh" or even "nikuh.") Other variations include "nookah", "nukka", "******" and the much older "jigger."

Answer 11

The 'n' word comes from the Spanish word for black, which is '*****'. Also the Latin word for black is the 'n' word.  

Answer 12

The "n" word was originally the word *****. The "n" word was a derogatory term used to summon slaves.

Answer 13

I don't have a clue

Answer 14

It started as derogatory. But simply put, it has always been used to describe someone of african decent. Its latin term even means "black".

Earlier variants (such as "neger" or "negar") derive from the Spanish/Portuguese word "n-egro", meaning "black", and probably also the French "nègre", which has also been used pejoratively (but also positively as in Négritude), derived from "ne-gro" (the ordinary French word for "black" being "noir"). Both "ne-gro" and "noir" (and therefore also "nè-gre" and "*******") ultimately come from "ni-grum", the accusative form of the Latin word "niger" (pronounced [ˈniger], like "knee-ger" with the final r being trilled), simply meaning "black".

In Colonial America, "ne-gars" was used in 1619 by John Rolfe, describing slaves shipped to Virginia colony. Neger (sometimes spelled "neggar") also prevailed in northern New York under the Dutch and also in Philadelphia, in its Moravian and Pennsylvania Dutch communities. For example, the African Burial Ground in New York City was originally known as "Begraafplaats van de Neger" (Dutch phrase meaning "Cemetery of the *****" in English).

Answer 15

It comes from the Latin for Black. 'Nigra', 'Nigro'. Hence '*****' and the other word that has very negative connotations.  

Answer 16

I'll say it!

N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N

N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N

N N N N N N ........back then it wasn't even a bad name, it was just a term used for the color of their skin.

h**l i think people were less racist back then than they are now

Answer 17

The word ***** comes [I think] from a Latin source, Spanish/Portuguese - ***** [I think] in both languages means 'black'.

N-word roots and origins explained by wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/******

Answer 18

the original origin is slavery.

Answer 19

It has two commonly believed origins.

One is simply that the people to which it refers, came from Nigeria.

And,.. The other is more plausible, in that it originates from the French word for "negre" meaning black skinned, and supports the possible origins of the word *****.

Answer 20

I imagine that it simply meant black.  Slight variations on 'n' mean black in so many languages even today (with no racial connotation whatever, simply the colour, like red or blue).

So yes, I think you're right, it was descriptive.  It most likely became pejorative during/after the slavery era.

Edit after your addition info:

I was referring to '*****' as well, hence 'negra' 'negre', etc in other languages.

Edit after your further info:

Why do we use any word?  Because it's 'invented' or because we borrow it from elsewhere and put our own spin on it.

Answer 21

it goes back to the days of the british empire and before that

Answer 22

it originally meant stupid/ignorant/etc., and so naturally has always been pejorative.  black people started getting called that word shortly after they were enslaved in the americas.

that word has no association with the spanish word for black, or the african country of niger.  people who say that are just guessing trying to get two points.  these words derived from different languages and relate about as much as words like tres, table, and Thailand.  just because they start with the same letter doesn't mean that they're related.

Answer 23

i beleive it comes from the word *****

Answer 24

i think the oriin of the word came from the spanish word for black which is *****  

Answer 25

I think it's spanish for black. The color black in spanish is Negr0.

Answer 26

The word "niger" is latin for "black".

Answer 27

"******"s the ancient name of the Sumerian God or the Supreme Divine Creator of the Universe.  The ancient Nubians used the word "NU".  In Latin it is pronounced ***** and refers to a sacred being.

Answer 28

I would think it started with the slave trade, and during the Civil War. Maybe it was a descriptive word used in Africa before they came here. But I have never heard it used except in a derogatory way.  

Answer 29

a lot of the early slaves were bought from tribes in "Niger" Africa, but European conquistadors started using that term as a condescending way to put the slaves down and impose their power over them.