nègre

See also: negre and négre

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish negro, itself from Latin niger, nigrum. Doublet of noir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɛɡʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

nègre m (plural nègres, feminine négresse)

1. (usually offensive) negro
2. ghostwriter

   un nègre littéraire

3. (informal, Louisiana, Cajun) friend, buddy
4. (informal, Louisiana, Cajun) [term of endearment] honey, baby, precious

Usage notes

• In Cajun French, nègre has no racial connotation. It is a term of endearment for a young boy.

Derived terms

• nèg
• négritude

Related terms

• noir, noire
• négro

Descendants

• German: Neger (Negerin)

Adjective

nègre (feminine nègre, masculine plural nègres, feminine plural nègres)

1. Of or pertaining to the Blacks of Africa or to African arts; black (color).

Derived terms

• alouette nègre
• Alouette nègre (“black lark”), Melanocorypha yeltoniensis (Alouette can be spelled with a “capital A” to emphasize the French name of the species) (cf. German: Mohrenlerche and Mohr)

Further reading

• “nègre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• gêner, genre, règne, régné