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

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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