negro
part of speech
noun (Negro, Negroes — outdated and now offensive); adjective (Negro — historical names only); Spanish/Portuguese word (negro — black)
meaning for a pupil
1) (outdated, now offensive) «Negro» was a word once used in English for a Black person, especially a person of African descent; today it is considered offensive and is not used to describe people. tree →
2) (historical) It appears in old names and documents, for example the «Negro Leagues» in American baseball, «Negro spirituals», and in speeches by Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who used the word because it was normal in his time. tree →
3) (Spanish, Portuguese) «Negro» means «black» in Spanish and Portuguese; it is in place names such as the Rio Negro («Black River») in South America. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons about slavery, the Civil Rights Movement and segregation in the USA, pupils meet the word in old sources, signs and speeches; teachers explain why it is no longer used and why respectful words today are «Black» or «African American» (USA), «Black British» (UK). In geography the Rio Negro is a great river joining the Amazon. Phrases met in history: «Negro Leagues», «Negro spirituals».
examples
- In old American documents the word «Negro» was used for Black people; today we say «Black». tree →
- Jackie Robinson played in the Negro Leagues before joining Major League Baseball. tree →
- «Swing Low, Sweet Chariot» is one of the old songs once called Negro spirituals. tree →
- Martin Luther King Jr used words of his time in his speeches. tree →
- The Rio Negro is a huge black-water river in the Amazon. tree →
- In Spanish, «negro» simply means the colour black. tree →
note
Do not use it to describe people: it is outdated and offensive. You may read it in history quotes; when quoting, keep it inside quotation marks. Respectful terms today: «Black» (often with a capital), «African American», «Black British». The Spanish word «negro» (black) is a colour word with a different use. Plural of the old English noun was «Negroes».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «negro» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.