blackamoor

[ blak-uh-moo r ]
/ ˈblæk əˌmʊər /

noun Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a black person.
a contemptuous term used to refer to any dark-skinned person.

Origin of blackamoor

First recorded in 1540–50; unexplained variant of phrase black Moor

usage note for blackamoor

So-called blackamoors, or black Moors, were originally black people from North Africa who worked as servants and slaves in wealthy European households. The negative connotation of the term comes from its historical association with servitude and from the perception that black Moors were strangely exotic. In 1596, Queen Elizabeth I targeted them for deportation.

Words nearby blackamoor

black-on-black, black-tailed deer, black-tie, black-water fever, blackacre, blackamoor, blackback flounder, blackball, blackbead, blackbeard, blackbeetle

British Dictionary definitions for blackamoor

blackamoor
/ (ˈblækəˌmʊə, -ˌmɔː) /

noun

archaic a Black African or other person with dark skin

Word Origin for blackamoor

C16: see Black, Moor