high yellow

American  

Also high yaller

noun

Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a term used to refer to a light-skinned Black person.

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Sensitive Note

This term implies that the person has a high proportion of white ancestry and looks more like a white person than a Black person. The term was most commonly used in the American South in the late 19th century and early 20th century, though it is still sometimes used today by both white people and Black people. See also yellow.

Other Word Forms

• high-yellow adjective

Etymology

Origin of high yellow

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Ford is partial to classic looks and lines, but threw in some fun with accessories like giant, feathered earrings in many colors, and a pair of high, yellow animal-skin cowboy boots.

From Washington Times • Feb. 8, 2020

Against the high yellow paling which divided them from the orchestra their shadows were enormous and fantastic.

From Time Magazine Archive

I don’t put in that Constantine’s daughter was high yellow; I just want to show that Constantine’s love for me began with missing her own child.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

He works this summer often in a frenzy, with what he calls a high yellow note.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

On the other was a dirt and gravel road that led through an open field, treeless, with high yellow grass.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides