Melungeon

[ muh-luhn-juhn ]

noun

1. Sometimes Offensive. a member of a people of mixed white, Black, and American Indian ancestry living in the southern Appalachians.

adjective

1. of or relating to a people of mixed white, Black, and American Indian ancestry living in the southern Appalachians.

melungeon

/ məˈlʌndʒən /

noun

1. any of a dark-skinned group of people of the Appalachians in E Tennessee, of mixed Indian, White, and Black ancestry

Usage Note

Melungeon is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Melungeons ), but it's sometimes offensive as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Melungeon ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Melungeon¹

First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain; perhaps ultimately from French mélange “mixture”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Melungeon¹

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

On her social media pages, where she shares facts about her Melungeon heritage — a lesser known mixed race rooted in Appalachia — and raises awareness about her neighbors’ lack of clean water access, residents of the region have called the vice presidential candidate a “shillbilly”; circulated a #heaintfromhere hashtag and joked that he’s the kind of guy that puts his cast iron skillet in the dishwasher.

From Los Angeles Times

His grandmother was a Melungeon — a mix of Scots Irish, African and American Indian from southeastern Virginia.

From Washington Post

The name Melungeon derives from mélange, an appellation bestowed by early French settlers on the Clinch river.

From Economist

Wayne Winkler, an author of Melungeon descent, says his grandparents’ generation wouldn’t utter the word, which, to them, connoted shiftlessness and dishonesty as much as racial instability.

From Economist

The cabin has since been moved from the ridge to the valley; DruAnna Overbay, of the Vardy Community Historical Society, indicates its arched windows, with their hint of Moorish style, as a distinctive Melungeon touch.

From Economist