# Origin of Nigger?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 9, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385 "2005-10-09T07:06:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/62 "2017-06-07T17:27:20Z")

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> [@Flipshod](#):
>
> On the difference discussed betwen ni-grah/ni-gruh and ni-grr…
> 
> My relatives in the deep Deep South who spoke a 1920s-1940s-ish version of the white Southern dialect and who didn’t move around enough to pick up regional variations (I don’t think) used both nig-ruh and nig-gr depending on whether they were speaking neutrally (ni-gruh) or with derision (ni-gr).
> 
> So while the differences may have originally been regional, by early 20th century they were two distinct words with distinct connotations.
> 
> Cite: Some old folks I used to talk to 🙂

When I was growing up in Texas in the 1950s it was always an adventure to listen to a politician trying to refer to black people in the presence of Yankees.

For some reason, no politician south of the Mason-Dixon line seemed able to pronounce knee-grow. The word always came out as nih-gro, nig-rah, nih-grah and sometimes knee-grah.

Basically, “Nigrah” was simply the N-word for polite society. It may have been different in other locations, but where I grew up, the respectful way to refer to a black person was to call them “Colored.”

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/63 "2017-06-07T17:57:06Z")

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> [@tdn](#):
>
> The other day I heard an extremely unreliable cite that it came from the country Niger. Which seems intuitive, but is there any connection there at all?

I will note that the bird seed long known as “Niger Seed” has been quietly renamed “Nyjer Seed” by most sellers.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/64 "2017-06-07T18:02:00Z")

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nm

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/65 "2017-06-07T18:09:09Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> I will note that the bird seed long known as “Niger Seed” has been quietly renamed “Nyjer Seed” by most sellers.

And along with the well-documented _niggardly_, perhaps _chicanery_, _queer the deal_, _nip in the air_, and _chink in the armor_ may be in trouble.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/66 "2017-06-07T18:17:03Z")

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> [@Riemann](#):
>
> And along with the well-documented _niggardly_, perhaps _chicanery_, _queer the deal_, _nip in the air_, and _chink in the armor_ may be in trouble.

Well, Haldane’s statement about the universe was correctified long ago.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nigger/325385/67 "2017-06-07T19:26:20Z")

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Since this is was zombified by a troll, I’m closing it.

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