Melungeon

[ muh-luhn-juhn ]

noun
  1. Sometimes Offensive. a member of a people of mixed white, Black, and American Indian ancestry living in the southern Appalachians.: See Usage note at the current entry.

adjective
  1. of or relating to a people of mixed white, Black, and American Indian ancestry living in the southern Appalachians.

Origin of Melungeon

1
First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain; perhaps ultimately from French mélange “mixture”

usage note For Melungeon

Melungeon is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Melungeons ), but it's sometimes offensive as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Melungeon ).

Words Nearby Melungeon

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How to use Melungeon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for melungeon

melungeon

/ (məˈlʌndʒən) /


noun
  1. any of a dark-skinned group of people of the Appalachians in E Tennessee, of mixed Indian, White, and Black ancestry

Origin of melungeon

1
C20: of unknown origin

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