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darktown

[ dahrk-toun ]
/ ˈdɑrkˌtaʊn /
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noun Older Use: Usually Offensive.
a part of a town or city inhabited largely by Black people.
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Origin of darktown

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; dark + town

usage note for darktown

This term from the 1880s, as used in the American South, is usually perceived as insulting and racist. But Darktown Strutters’ Ball was the name of a popular jazz song written in 1917.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use darktown in a sentence

  • Madge soon reached the edge of darktown, taking a main street which led to the better section of Claymore.

    The Secret of the Sundial|Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann Wirt
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