niger

See also: Niger, Níger, and nigger

English

niger, Guizotia abyssinica

Etymology

From the name of the Niger River, from Latin Nigris. See further etymology at Niger.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪd͡ʒə(ɹ)/

Noun

niger (uncountable)

1. An Ethiopian herb, Guizotia abyssinica, grown for its seed and edible oil.

   Synonyms: noog, noug, nug

References

• “Niger, n.2.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2003.

Anagrams

• Grein, Negri, Reign, nigre, re-nig, reign, renig, ringe

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Latin

Etymology

Uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare, naked”) if this root is assumed also to be the source of *nókʷts (“night”) (Latin nox), thus “black” would attest the intermediate meaning between “bare” and “night”. Cognate of Umbrian niru (accusative case) possibly "dark, black".

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.ɡer/, [ˈnɪɡɛr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.d͡ʒer/, [ˈniːd͡ʒer]

Adjective

niger (feminine nigra, neuter nigrum, superlative nigerrimus); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)

1. wan, shining black (as opposed to āter, dull black)
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:niger.

   Nigrum in candida vertere.

   To turn black into white.

2. bad; evil; ill-omened

Declension

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er).

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	niger	nigra	nigrum		nigrī	nigrae	nigra
Genitive	nigrī	nigrae	nigrī		nigrōrum	nigrārum	nigrōrum
Dative	nigrō		nigrō		nigrīs
Accusative	nigrum	nigram	nigrum		nigrōs	nigrās	nigra
Ablative	nigrō	nigrā	nigrō		nigrīs
Vocative	niger	nigra	nigrum		nigrī	nigrae	nigra

Synonyms

• (black): fuscus

Antonyms

• (shining white): candidus

Derived terms

• nigellus
• nigritia
• subniger

Descendants

Gallo-Italic:

• Ligurian: neigro
• Lombard: negar, negher
• Piedmontese: neir, négher
• Romagnol: négar, nìgar
• Venetian: nero, negro

Gallo-Romance:

• Franco-Provençal: nêr
• Old French: noir, neir
  • Middle French: noir
    • French: noir
      • Karipúna Creole French: nué, nég
      • → English: noir (shortened from film noir)
• Norman: nièr
• Walloon: noer

Ibero-Romance:

• Aragonese: negro
• Asturian: negru, ñegru, nigru, ñiegru
• Extremaduran: negru
• Galician: negro
• Leonese: negru
• Mirandese: negro
• Old Portuguese: negro
  • Portuguese: negro, nego
    • Guinea-Bissau Creole: negru
    • → English: negro (or via Spanish)
• Spanish: negro
  • → English: negro (or via Portuguese), nigro (cross-loan with Latin niger, †), nigra [1900s]
  • → French: nègre
    • → Dutch: neger
    • → English: neger
      • ⇒ English: niger, nigger, nigga (cross-loan with Latin niger)
        • → Danish: nigger
        • → Dutch: nikker
        • → German: Nigger
        • → Norwegian: nigger
        • → Swedish: nigger
    • → German: Neger
    • → Norwegian: neger
    • → Swedish: neger
    • → Russian: негр (negr)

Italo-Dalmatian:

• Corsican: negru
• Dalmatian: niar
• Emilian: naigher
• Istriot: nìgro, nìgaro
• Italian: negro, nero
• Neapolitan: niro
• Sicilian: nigru, niru, nìuru, nìvuru

Occitano-Romance:

• Catalan: negre
• Old Occitan: ner, neir, negre
  • Occitan: negre, ner, nèir

Rhaeto-Romance:

• Friulian: neri
• Ladin: neigher
• Romansch: nair, neir, negher

Sardinian:

• Sardinian: nigru, nieddu, nigheddu

Vlach:

• Aromanian: negru
• Istro-Romanian: negru
• Megleno-Romanian: negru
• Romanian: negru

Constructed languages:

• → Ido: nigra
• → Interlingua: nigre

See also

Colors in Latin · colōrēs (layout · text)

candidus, albus, niveus, cēreus, marmoreus, eburneus, cānus	rāvus, pullus, cinereus, cineraceus, plumbeus, grīseus (ML. or NL.)	āter, niger, piceus
pūniceus, murrinus, rūfus, ruber, russus, rubrīcus, mulleus; cocceus, coccīnus, badius	rutilus, armeniacus, auranteus, aurantiacus; fuscus, colōrius, cervīnus, spādīx	gilvus, helvus, fulvus, flāvus, croceus, pallidus, lūteus, blondinus (ML.)
galbus, galbinus, lūridus	viridis	prasinus
cyaneus	caeruleus, azurīnus (ML.), blavus (ML.)	glaucus; līvidus; venetus
violāceus, ianthinus, balaustīnus (NL.)	ostrīnus, amethystīnus	purpureus, ātropurpūreus, roseus, rosāceus

References

• “niger”, in Charlton T[homas] Lewis; Charles [Lancaster] Short (1879) […] A New Latin Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.: American Book Company; Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• “niger”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• niger in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• “niger”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “niger”, in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From English nigger.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nîɡer/
• Hyphenation: ni‧ger

Noun

nȉger m (Cyrillic spelling ни̏гер)

1. (slang, derogatory) nigger

Declension

Declension of niger

	singular	plural
nominative	niger	nigeri
genitive	nigera	nigera
dative	nigeru	nigerima
accusative	niger	nigere
vocative	nigere	nigeri
locative	nigeru	nigerima
instrumental	nigerem	nigerima

Synonyms

• cr̀nac

References

• “niger” in Hrvatski jezični portal

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Swedish

Verb

niger

1. present of niga

Anagrams

• Inger, inger, regin, ringe