English
neger
Neger comes from Middle French nègre ‘black’, from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- ‘bare, naked’, and perhaps ultimately from *nókʷts ‘night’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷts1‘night’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*negʷ-1‘bare, naked’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEniger2‘wan, shining black’
- es,ptmodernnegro2
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600nègre2‘black’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1700neger2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin niger
- 2 Wiktionary, English neger
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1700, ‘The Saint Turn'd Sinner’: “The Parson still more eager, / Than lustful Turk…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷtsWiktionary, Latin niger‘night’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*negʷ-Wiktionary, Latin niger‘bare, naked’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnigerWiktionary, English neger‘wan, shining black’
- es,ptmodernnegroWiktionary, English neger
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600nègreWiktionary, English neger‘black’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1700negerWiktionary, English neger. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1700, ‘The Saint Turn'd Sinner’: “The Parson still more eager, / Than lustful Turk…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ‘night’
through Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- ‘bare, naked’
night, naked, nude, gymnastics, nocturnal, gymnasium, actin, gymnast, naga, nox, nocturne, nudism, 49 more
through Latin niger ‘wan, shining black’
noir, niger, denigrate, nigella, negroni, 16 more
through es,pt negro
through Middle French nègre ‘black’
Today it means
noun Synonym of negro or nigger.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “neger”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin niger. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts / neger