picaninny

[ pik-uh-nin-ee ]
/ ˈpɪk əˌnɪn i /

noun, plural pic·a·nin·nies.

Words nearby picaninny

Definition for picaninny (2 of 2)

pickaninny

or pic·a·nin·ny, pic·ca·nin·ny

[ pik-uh-nin-ee ]
/ ˈpɪk əˌnɪn i /

noun, plural pick·a·nin·nies. Older Use: Now Offensive.

a term used to refer to a black child.

Origin of pickaninny

1645–55; probably ultimately < Portuguese pequenino, diminutive of pequeno small; as a word for “small child,” pickaninny and its variants are widespread in English-based creoles of the New World and West Africa; compare Jamaican English pickney, West African English pickin small child

usage note for pickaninny

This is a dated term, originally used in a neutral or even affectionate way among slaves in the West Indies, but now perceived as insulting.

British Dictionary definitions for picaninny

pickaninny
/ (ˌpɪkəˈnɪnɪ) /

noun plural -nies

a variant spelling (esp US) of piccaninny