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Blackamoor
Definitions
- 1 A village in Blackburn with Darwen borough, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD6925).
- 1 A person with dark black skin, especially one from north Africa. archaic, offensive
"Argent, three blackamoors’ heads couped sable, capped or, fretty gules."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of blackamoor. alt-of, archaic, obsolete, offensive
"highly discontented to understand the great numbers of negars and Blackamoors which (as she is informed) are crept into this realm... who are fostered and relieved [i.e. fed] her to the great annoyance of her own liege people, that want the relief [i.e. food], which those people consume, as also for that the most of them are infidels, having no understanding of Christ or his Gospel."
- 3 a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa) wordnet
- 4 A black slave or servant, and hence any slave, servant, inferior, or child. offensive
"1893, Annotation to The Diary of Samuel Pepys by "Mary", http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1660/08/10/index.php citing Restoration London, Liza Picard, pages 178-179. In 1596 Elizabeth I had already decreed that all "blackamoors" should be sent back to Spain or Portugal as they were disturbing local labour markets. It became very fashionable for the wealthy to have "blackamoor" page boys and personal servants, as their complexions set off the pale-skinned beauty of the women of the family."
Etymology
From earlier blackmoor + -a-. By surface analysis, black + -a- + Moor.
From Blakemor (first recorded use in 1210), from Old English blæc (“black”) + mór (“moor”).
See also for "blackamoor"
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