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.
Words nearby pickaninny
pick-up,
pick-up stick,
pickaback,
pickaback plane,
pickaback plant,
pickaninny,
pickaroon,
pickax,
pickaxe,
picked,
picked over