negro

UK: 'negro', 'Negro': /ˈniːɡrəʊ/

US: /ˈnigroʊ/

US: (Phys.Anthro. nē′grō; Geogr. nā′grō; Sp. ne′grô)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

Ne•gro¹ /ˈnigroʊ/   adj., n., pl. -groes. 
adj. 

1. Physical Anthropology characteristic of one of the traditional racial divisions of humankind, the people of which generally have brown to black skin, dark eyes, and woolly or crisp hair;
   including esp. the peoples who first lived in sub-Saharan Africa.

n. [countable]

2. Physical Anthropology a member of the peoples traditionally classified as the Negro race.

Usage

See black.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Ne•gro  (nē′grō), n., pl. -groes, adj. 
n. 

1. Physical Anthropology, Place Names [Anthropol.] a member of the peoples traditionally classified as the Negro race, esp. those who originate in sub-Saharan Africa: no longer in technical use.

adj. 

2. Physical Anthropology, Place Names of, pertaining to, or characteristic of one of the traditional racial divisions of humankind, generally marked by brown to black skin pigmentation, dark eyes, and woolly or crisp hair and including esp. the indigenous peoples of Africa south of the Sahara.
3. Physical Anthropology, Place Names being a member of the black peoples of humankind, esp. those who originate in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Latin nigrum, masculine accusative of niger black
• Spanish and Portuguese negro black
• 1545–55

Usage

See black. 

Ne•gro  (nā′grō; Sp. ne′grô;
 Port. ne′grŏŏ), n. 

1. a river in NW South America, flowing SE from E Colombia through N Brazil into the Amazon. 1400 mi. (2255 km) long.
2. a river in S Argentina, flowing E from the Andes to the Atlantic. 700 mi. (1125 km) long.
3. Place Names a river in SE South America, flowing S from Brazil and W through Uruguay, to the Uruguay River. ab. 500 mi. (800 km) long.

Also called Ne′gro Riv′er. Portuguese, Rio Negro. Spanish, Río Negro. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Negro / ˈniːɡrəʊ/ noun ( -groes)

1. a member of any of the dark-skinned indigenous peoples of Africa and their descendants elsewhere

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of these peoples

Etymology: 16th Century: from Spanish or Portuguese: black, from Latin niger black

ˈNegroˌism noun

Negro / ˈneɪɡrəʊ ˈnɛɡ-/ noun Río Negro ⇒

1. a river in NW South America, rising in E Colombia (as the Guainía) and flowing east, then south as part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela, entering Brazil and continuing southeast to join the Amazon at Manáus. Length: about 2250 km (1400 miles)
2. a river in S central Argentina, formed by the confluence of the Neuquén and Limay Rivers and flowing east and southeast to the Atlantic. Length: about 1014 km (630 miles)
3. a river in central Uruguay, rising in S Brazil and flowing southwest into the Uruguay River. Length: about 467 km (290 miles)