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Glite Dictionary
redskin

redskin

5 9.9
An insulting name for Native American people
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛdˌskɪn/
  • Slur
: [insulto vulgar y despectivo para nativos americanos]
  • "We do not deserve to be called redskins," the Oneida leader says in the ad.
  • the term redskin
  • redskin is offensive
  • redskins—palefaces

Examples

  • Recently, the Kansas City Star decided to strike the word 'redskin' from its publishing copy.

    Blog text (16)

  • A crusading redskin from Canada by the name of Grey Owl... has taken this country by storm.

    Grey Owl (1999)

  • I kind of miss those fool redskins and wonder what they're up to.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Yet I decided to look up the term 'redskin' to decipher its underlying and overtly racist overtures.

    Blog text (16)

  • For example, Washington Redskins owners and fans argue that the word "redskin" has come to mean the team—the Washington Redskins football team.

    Academic text (2008)

  • "I'd ask him, 'Would you dare call me a redskin, right here, to my face?" she says.

  • Using the term redskin to describe someone is considered offensive and derogatory.

Surface Forms

redskin singular
redskins plural

Morphology

redskin = red + skin (opaque) = red + skin

Although composed of the words 'red' + 'skin', the term's contemporary meaning is a derogatory ethnic slur and its social/pejorative sense cannot be reliably derived from the components.

Etymology

Redskin began as a plain description, combining red and skin to mean 'red skin', a label some early settlers used for Native American people. Over time it became a derogatory slur, so many people find the word deeply offensive and organizations have dropped it.