Dictionary.com

octoroon

[ ok-tuh-roon ]
/ ˌɒk təˈrun /
Save This Word!

noun Older Use: Offensive.
a person having one-eighth Black ancestry, with one Black great-grandparent; the offspring of a quadroon and a white person.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of octoroon

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; octo- + (quad)roon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use octoroon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for octoroon

octoroon

octaroon

/ (ˌɒktəˈruːn) /

noun
a person having one quadroon and one White parent and therefore having one-eighth Black bloodCompare quadroon

Word Origin for octoroon

C19: octo- + -roon as in quadroon
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
FEEDBACK