oc·to·roon ( k t -r n )n. A person whose ancestry is one-eighth Black. [octo- + (quad)roon.] Usage Note: The terms mulatto, quadroon, and octoroon originated with the racial policies of European colonizers in the Americas, especially the Spanish. Because civil rights and responsibilities were based directly on the degree of European blood that a person had, such classifications were highly elaborated, and minor distinctions in ancestry were carefully recorded. While these terms have highly precise definitions, in actual practice they were often used based on impressions of skin color rather than definite knowledge of ancestry. |
octoroon, octaroon [ˌɒktəˈruːn]
n
a person having one quadroon and one White parent and therefore having one-eighth Black blood Compare quadroon
[octo- + -roon as in quadroon]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | octoroon - an offspring of a quadroon and a white parent; a person who is one-eighth black archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression mixed-blood - a person whose ancestors belonged to two or more races |
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