darktown
[ dahrk-toun ]
/ ˈdɑrkˌtaʊn /
noun Older Use: Usually Offensive.
a part of a town or city inhabited largely by blacks.
Nearby words
- darkling beetle,
- darkly,
- darkness,
- darkroom,
- darksome,
- darky,
- darlan,
- darlene,
- darling,
- darling downs
Origin of darktown
Usage note
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. 2019