pickaninny

American  

[pik-uh-nin-ee] / ˈpɪk əˌnɪn i /

Or picaninny,

noun

Older Use: Now Offensive.

plural

pickaninnies

1. a term used to refer to a Black child.

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pickaninny British  

/ ˌpɪkəˈnɪnɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of piccaninny

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Sensitive Note

Pickaninny is a dated term, originally used in a neutral or even affectionate way in the West Indies, but now perceived as insulting.

Etymology

Origin of pickaninny

First recorded in 1645–55; probably ultimately from Portuguese pequenino, diminutive of pequeno “small”; as a word for “small child,” pickaninny and its variants are widespread in English-based creoles of the New World and West Africa; compare Jamaican English pickney, West African English pickin “small child”