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pickaninny
or pic·a·nin·ny, pic·ca·nin·ny
[ pik-uh-nin-ee ]
noun
, Older Use: Now Offensive.
, plural pick·a·nin·nies.
- a term used to refer to a Black child.
pickaninny
/ ˌpɪkəˈnɪnɪ /
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Sensitive Note
Pickaninny is a dated term, originally used in a neutral or even affectionate way in the West Indies, but now perceived as insulting.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of pickaninny1
First recorded in 1645–55; probably ultimately from Portuguese pequenino, diminutive 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; compare Jamaican English pickney, West African English pickin “small child”
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