half-breed
[haf-breed, hahf-]Disparaging and Offensive.
noun
a contemptuous term used to refer to the offspring of parents of different racial origin, especially the offspring of an American Indian and a white person of European descent.
adjective
of or relating to such offspring.
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RELATED WORDS
combination, hodgepodge, mishmash, hybrid, cross, medley, mutt, blend, conglomeration, mule, amalgam, cross-breed
Nearby words
- half-board,
- half-boot,
- half-bottle,
- half-bound,
- half-breadth plan,
- half-brother,
- half-buried,
- half-bushel,
- half-butt,
- half-caste
Origin of half-breed
An Americanism dating back to 1750–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for half-breed
You figger Rann an' the snake of a half-breed'll get the start of us.
The Hunted Woman|James Oliver Curwood
half-breed
noun
adjective also: half-bred
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
half-breed
"person of mixed race," 1760; as an adjective by 1762. Half-blooded in this sense is from c.1600.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper