pied noir

American  

[pee-ey nwahr, pyey, pyey nwar] / piˌeɪ ˈnwɑr, ˌpyeɪ, pyeɪ ˈnwar /

Or pied-noir

noun

Often Disparaging.

plural

pieds noirs

1. an Algerian-born French person.

2. formerly, a person of French origin living in French-ruled Algeria.

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Etymology

Origin of pied noir

1960–65; < French: literally, black foot

Example Sentences

Bergé had grown up in a family that did not care that he was gay; for Saint Laurent’s conservative father, a pied noir in Algeria, having a gay son was a source of deep embarrassment.

From Economist • Sep. 12, 2017

She was a French teacher and a pied noir.

From The New Yorker • May 1, 2017

Forced to choose between "the suitcase or the coffin," nearly 1 million white pied noir settlers tearfully abandoned their homeland.

From Time Magazine Archive