quadroon

[ kwo-droon ]

/ kwɒˈdrun /

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Definition of quadroon

noun Older Use: Offensive.

a person having one-fourth Black ancestry, with one Black grandparent; the offspring of a mulatto and a white person.

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Compare octoroon.

Origin of quadroon

First recorded in 1640–50; alteration of Spanish cuarterón, derivative of cuarto “a fourth,” from Latin quartus; see -oon

Words nearby quadroon

quadrisyllable, quadrivalent, quadrivial, quadrivium, quadrominium, quadroon, quadrophonics, quadru-, quadrumane, quadrumanous, quadrumvir

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quadroon in a sentence

She went down and led them out of the sun, scolding the quadroon for not being more attentive.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The quadroon was following them with little quick steps, having assumed a fictitious animation and alacrity for the occasion.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Old Madame Pontellier had come herself and carried them off to Iberville with their quadroon.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
There was great fun among the Gorleston men when Jim turned serious, and one merry smacksman actually struck at the quadroon.
The Chequers|James Runciman

A shivering little quadroon girl crept up the stairs behind a coal-black old man.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins

British Dictionary definitions for quadroon

quadroon

/ (kwɒˈdruːn) /

noun

the offspring of a Mulatto and a White person; a person who is one-quarter Black

Word Origin for quadroon

C18: from Spanish cuarterón, from cuarto quarter, from Latin quartus

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