piccaninny

esp US pickaninny

/ (ˌpɪkəˈnɪnɪ) /

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noun plural -nies

offensive a small Black or Aboriginal child

(modifier) tinya piccaninny fire won't last long

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Word Origin for piccaninny

C17: perhaps from Portuguese pequenino tiny one, from pequeno small

Words nearby piccaninny

picayune, Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, piccalilli, piccanin, piccaninny, Piccard, piccata, Piccinni, piccolo, piccoloist

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

How to use piccaninny in a sentence

Piccaninny, Pickaninny, pik′a-nin-i, n. a little child: an African or negro child.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Piccaninny's black shanks and pink heels flew up and out, and he was away like a flash.
Prisoners of Hope|Mary Johnston
It was then the Piccaninny woke up because the bough had ceased to sway gently up and down.
Piccaninnies|Isabel Maud Peacocke
And I've been asleep with my head upon my dear, naughty old Bear, with all my animals and the Piccaninny round me.
Baby Jane's Mission|Reginald Parnell

However, the Piccaninny and the Rabbit soon began a firm friendship by playfully jogging one another over.
Baby Jane's Mission|Reginald Parnell