Blackmoor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person with dark skin, particularly one from sub-Saharan Africa or of African descent
2. An individual of Black African origin or heritage, historically used as a general term for people of African appearance
3. A dark-complexioned person, especially from Africa, as used in historical and literary contexts

Etymology: "Blackmoor" is an older spelling of "blackamoor," a word for a Black person that is now considered offensive and is rarely used. The dictionary history offers only a brief trail: the longer form "blackamoor" was built from "blackmoor" with an inserted "-a-", and the surface analysis points to "black," the "-a-" linking element, and "Moor." The "Moor" element refers to the Moors, the medieval Muslim inhabitants of North Africa and Iberia, whose name passed into English from Old French and Latin. The compound thus joins a color adjective to a term for North African peoples, a pairing that was common in early modern English usage. The form "blackmoor" appears to be the earlier one, with "blackamoor" developing from it, so the inserted vowel is best understood as a later addition rather than the original shape of the word.