Quadroon
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A person considered three-fourths white, having one non-white grandparent. dated, historical
"There were slow boys and bashful boys, feeble boys and riotous boys, boys that lisped and boys that stuttered, one or two lame ones, and a merry little quadroon, who could not be taken in elsewhere, but who was welcome to the ‘Bhaer-garten’, though some people predicted that his admission would ruin the school."
- 2 an offspring of a mulatto and a white parent; a person who is one-quarter black wordnet
- 1 Of or related to quadroons. dated, historical, not-comparable
"Before them, with her face upraised, In timid attitude, Like one half curious, half amazed, A Quadroon maiden stood."
Example
More examples"There were slow boys and bashful boys, feeble boys and riotous boys, boys that lisped and boys that stuttered, one or two lame ones, and a merry little quadroon, who could not be taken in elsewhere, but who was welcome to the ‘Bhaer-garten’, though some people predicted that his admission would ruin the school."
Etymology
From Spanish cuarterón (“¾ white, a child of a European and a mestizo”), from cuarto (“one-fourth”) + -on (“-oon: forming related nouns”), from Latin quartus (“one-fourth”). Doublet of cuarteron.
Related phrases
More for "quadroon"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.