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Ne·gro

(nēgrō)

n. pl. Ne·groes
Often Offensive

1. A black person.

2. A member of the Negroid race. Not in scientific use.

[Spanish and Portuguese negro, black, black person, from Latin niger, nigr-, black; see nek^w-t- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Negro adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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