pickaninny

pickaninny
/pik"euh nin'ee/, n., pl. pickaninnies. Offensive.
a black child.
[1645-55; prob. ult. < Pg pequenino, dim. of pequeno small; as a word for "small child," pickaninny and its variants are widespread in English-based creoles of the New World and West Africa; cf. Jamaican E pickney, West African E pickin small child]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Pickaninny — (also picaninny or piccaninny) is a term ndash; generally considered derogatory ndash; that in English usage refers to black children, or a caricature of them which is widely considered racist. It is a pidgin word form, which may be derived from… …   Wikipedia

  • Pickaninny — Pick a*nin ny (p[i^]k [.a]*n[i^]n n[y^]), n.; pl. {Pickaninnies} (p[i^]k [.a]*n[i^]n n[i^]z). [Cf. Sp. peque[ n]o little, young.] A small child; especially, a negro or mulatto infant. Now (2001) used primarily in the latter sense, and in that… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pickaninny — [pik′ə nin΄ē] n. pl. pickaninnies [ult. < Sp pequeño or Port pequeno] [Dial. or Old Slang] a black child: now an offensive term …   English World dictionary

  • pickaninny — UK [ˌpɪkəˈnɪnɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms pickaninny : singular pickaninny plural pickaninnies offensive a black child. This word is sometimes used by older white people but most people consider it offensive …   English dictionary

  • pickaninny — US var. of PICCANINNY. * * * pickaninny variant of piccaninny …   Useful english dictionary

  • pickaninny — or picaninny noun (plural nies) Etymology: probably ultimately from Portuguese pequenino, diminutive of pequeno small Date: 1653 often offensive a black child …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pickaninny — noun a black child …   Wiktionary

  • pickaninny — pick|a|nin|ny [ ,pıkə nıni ] noun count OFFENSIVE a black child. This word is sometimes used by older white people but black people consider it offensive …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • pickaninny — pɪkÉ™ nɪnɪ / pɪkÉ™nɪnɪ n. offensive term for a small black child or infant …   English contemporary dictionary

  • pickaninny — noun US spelling of piccaninny …   English new terms dictionary

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