Negro means the color black in both Spanish and Portuguese languages, being derived from the Latin word niger of the same meaning.

The term "negro", literally "black," was used by the Spanish and Portuguese to refer to black Africans and people with that heritage. From the 18th century to the mid-20th century, "negro" (later capitalized) was considered the correct and proper term for African Americans, but fell out of favor by the 1970s in the United States. In current English language usage, the word generally is considered acceptable only in a historical context or in the name of older organizations, as in the United Negro College Fund. According to an often cited poll, only a little more than 3% of American blacks choose "Negro" as their first choice as a term of self-designation. The term is in more common use among those born before the post World War II baby boom and in the Deep South.

Lyndon B. Johnson was the last American president to publicly refer to the African American population as Negroes (to which, for much of his life, he gave the Texas pronunciation nigras, widely considered an insult by African Americans). Before he left office, he had begun to employ the word blacks, too.

The related word Negroid was used by 19th and early 20th century anthropologists to refer to a "race" of people from Africa. Both the use of this word and the concept of race associated with it are now generally in disfavor, though the word has not passed completely out of use.

The word has had a similar history in languages such as Italian. Today in Italy, using the term negro to refer to a black person would be considered a racist insult, suggestive of fascist opinions. However, in Portuguese, the socially accepted term nowadays is "negro" (literally, "black"), while "prieto" (meaning, "dark") usually is seen as an insult.

In Argentina, negro is a word commonly usually used to refer to friends or people in general, and does not have blatantly racist connotation. For example, one may say to a friend, "Oye, negrito. Como est�s?" Literally, that translates as, "Listen (or "Hey"), little negro, how are you?" Here, "negro" is used in its diminutive form, as a term of endearment meaning "pal", or "buddy" or "friend." "Negrito" has come to be used to refer to a person of any ethnicity or color, and also can have a sentimental or romantic connotation similar to "sweetheart," or "dear" in English.

A specifically female form of the word—negress—was sometimes used; but, like another gender-specific word "Jewess", it has all but completely fallen from usage. Both are considered racist and sexist.

As with other racial, ethnic, and sexual words that are seen as pejoratives, some individuals have tried "reclaiming" the word. An example of this is artist Kara Walker. [1] (http://www.gregkucera.com/walker.htm)

See also: colored

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