darky

or dark·ie

[ dahr-kee ]

noun,plural dark·ies.Older Use: Now Offensive.
  1. a term used to refer to a Black person.

Origin of darky

1
First recorded in 1765–75; dark + -y2

usage note For darky

The earliest uses of darky in English were sentimental, probably affectionate in intent, although it is likely that even then, those who were addressed or referred to by the term found it patronizing. For example, the lyrics of Stephen Foster's song My Old Kentucky Home (1853) refer with nostalgia to happy “darkies.” But by the early part of the 20th century, the term had become increasingly offensive and unacceptable. Current versions of the Foster lyrics refer instead to “people.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use darky in a sentence

  • Rainbow had been entered in proper time and all regular by old Jacob, under the name of Darkie, which suited in all ways.

    Robbery Under Arms | Thomas Alexander Browne, AKA Rolf Boldrewood
  • He's Mr. Jacob Benton's Darkie now, and you bet on him to the coat on your back.'

    Robbery Under Arms | Thomas Alexander Browne, AKA Rolf Boldrewood
  • If Spanish Lu were within short distance of us, the sooner we got Darkie safely home, the better.

  • Of course the first thing to be done was to ride round the ranch and see whether Darkie could be found anywhere.

  • My first instinct was to give Darkie her head and fly for the ranch, but Lenox caught at my bridle.

British Dictionary definitions for darky

darky

darkie or darkey

/ (ˈdɑːkɪ) /


nounplural darkies or darkeys informal
  1. an offensive word for a Black person

  2. Australian an offensive word for a native Australian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012