*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nigga

From a dialectal non-rhotic pronunciation of nigger.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Pronunciation spelling of nigger. · A close and loyal friend. · A black person (usually a male friend), especially an African American. · Any person, though chiefly male.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a dialectal non-rhotic pronunciation of nigger.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "non-rhotic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nigger",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "non-rhotic pronunciation of nigger"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "non-rhotic",
      "non-rhotic"
    ],
    [
      "nigger",
      "nigger#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Pronunciation spelling of nigger.",
        "A close and loyal friend.",
        "A black person (usually a male friend), especially an African American.",
        "Any person, though chiefly male."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "dated",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "pronunciation-spelling",
        "slur",
        "vulgar",
        "often",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "0ee7c7dcccdba96408b218592f3864bf5afb48cfe7922ace2c41713cb8095b66",
      "rawRecordSha256": "35c6d0769221b71613b60020afdbe5581371cf615f33cc745c215385801907fd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 547754
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of acrographic lexical list included in Old Babylonian scribal curriculum.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Of Old Akkadian origin. Unrelated to Etymology 1.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Akkadian",
      "Akkadian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of acrographic lexical list included in Old Babylonian scribal curriculum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "vulgar"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "29e13c24d2deadabd68aa518aee1bcdebe660b05980334f54458c1a672e40309",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 547755
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nigga →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bmlnZ2E