blackamoor

American  

[blak-uh-moor] / ˈblæk əˌmʊər /

noun

1. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

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

2. Art. a stylized depiction of a Black servant in rich clothing, classical robes, or noble tribal costume, used as a decorative element in furniture, textiles, or jewelry, especially during the period of European colonialism.

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blackamoor British  

/ ˈblækəˌmʊə, -ˌmɔː /

noun

1. archaic a Black African or other person with dark skin

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Sensitive Note

So-called blackamoors, or Black Moors, were Black servants, originally enslaved North Africans, who worked in wealthy European households from the 15th-18th centuries. 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.

Etymology

Origin of blackamoor

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

Example Sentences

The case rests on two possibilities: that Beethoven’s Flemish ancestors married Spanish “blackamoors” of African descent, or that Beethoven’s mother had an affair.

From The Guardian

Bad tights and the Windsors go together like the older royals and blackamoor brooches: long after everyone else consigned them to the dustbin of shame, the royals consider them the crucial finishing touch.

From The Guardian

The Duke Of Edinburgh has made numerous contentious comments; and only last year Princess Michael of Kent wore a blackamoor brooch while meeting Prince Harry’s fiancee, Meghan Markle.

From The Guardian

The royal, who married the Queen's first cousin, attended a Christmas banquet at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday wearing a blackamoor brooch.

From BBC

Princess Michael of Kent, wife of the queen’s cousin Prince Michael, has apologized after wearing a blackamoor brooch to a royal lunch attended by Prince Harry’s biracial American fiancée, Meghan Markle.

From Washington Times