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Definition of octoroon

octoroon

/ˌɑːk.təˈruːn/
oc · to · roon
Plural:octoroons
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octoroon Lexical Profile

octoroon Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

American A historical and deeply offensive racial classification for a person who has one-eighth Black ancestry and seven-eighths white ancestry (typically having one Black great-grandparent).

Example

"Historical literature from the 19th century frequently featured the tragic octoroon as a stock character to highlight the cruelties of institutionalized slavery and segregation."

Word Nuance & Usage

This is an archaic and deeply offensive racial classification historically used in the Americas to enforce segregation and hypodescent laws; it should be completely avoided in modern contexts.

• Rhymes for octoroon

• Nearby Words

octet
octogenarian
octopus
octoroon
octothorpe
octuplet
ocular

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the mid-19th century in the Americas, combining the Latin-derived prefix 'octo-' (eight) with the suffix '-roon', patterned directly after the earlier term 'quadroon' (derived from Spanish 'cuartarón').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Octoroon. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/octoroon
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