BUCKRA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 5 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

BUCKRA  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a white man or boss (often used disparagingly)

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -M, -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: buckraMS, buckraMED, buckraMING
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Words born in America

Epilogue:

Slaves brought to America from Africa and the Caribbean influenced American language and culture, sometimes in surprising ways.  As Walter C. Rucker writes in the Encyclopedia of African American History, “used as an expression of derision, ‘buckra’ appears to be the only anti-white epithet created originally by enslaved Africans. Others, specifically ‘cracker’ and ‘redneck,’ were created by the white elite to deride and ridicule poor whites.”  The term first began to be used widely in South Carolina and Georgia, and it is still used primarily in the southern United States.  The word is generally considered offensive or disparaging.

In any case, the word BUCKRA is probably from mbakara (“master”), from the Efik language spoken by the Ibibio people of Nigeria.  Other words from African languages that were probably introduced to American English through black slaves include BANJO, GOOBER (“peanut”), GUMBO, and YAM.

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