adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)
niger1
niger (feminine nigra, neuter nigrum, superlative nigerrimus)
Classical[ˈnɪ.ɡɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈniː.d͡ʒer]
№ 634 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- adjectivewan, shining black (as opposed to āter, dull black)
Nigrum in candida vertere.
To turn black into white.For quotations using this term, see Citations:niger.
- adjectiveblack, dark brown
Leda fuit nigra conspicienda coma [...]
Leda was famed for her black hair …16 BCE, Ovidius, Amores 2.4Fuisse traditur excelsa statura, colore candido, teretibus membris, ore paulo pleniore, nigris uegetisque oculis [...]
It is said that [Caesar] was tall, of a fair complexion, round limbed, rather full faced, with eyes black and piercing …121 CE, Suetonius, De vita Caesarum Vita divi Iuli 45 - adjectivebad; evil; ill-omened
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
colōre noctis; sine omnī lūce.niger -gra -grum — in Mille Verba, Colōrēs
color obscūrus, nōn albusniger -gra -grum — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 26
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Ater · Niger · Pullus
1. Ater (αἰθός) denotes black, as a negation of color, in opp. to albus; whereas niger (πνιγόεις) denotes black, as being itself a color, and indeed the darkest, in opp. to candidus. The atrum makes only a dismal and dark impression; but the nigrum, a positive, and imposing and beautiful impression, as Hor. Carm. i. 32, 11. Lycum nigris oculis, nigroque crine decorum. Tac. G. 43. Nigra scuta, tincta corpora; atras ad prœlia noctes legunt. (iii. 194.) 2. Ater and niger denote a deep dark black; whereas pullus only swarthy, with reference to the affinity of the dark color to dirt. (iii. 207.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | in -er niger, nigellus | nigra nigella | nigrum nigellum |
| genitive | nigrī nigellī | nigrae nigellae | nigrī nigellī |
| dative | nigrō nigellō | nigrae nigellae | nigrō nigellō |
| accusative | nigrum nigellum | nigram nigellam | nigrum nigellum |
| ablative | nigrō nigellō | nigrā nigellā | nigrō nigellō |
| vocative | niger nigelle | nigra nigella | nigrum nigellum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | nigrī nigellī | nigrae nigellae | nigra nigella |
| genitive | nigrōrum nigellōrum | nigrārum nigellārum | nigrōrum nigellōrum |
| dative | nigrīs nigellīs | nigrīs nigellīs | nigrīs nigellīs |
| accusative | nigrōs nigellōs | nigrās nigellās | nigra nigella |
| ablative | nigrīs nigellīs | nigrīs nigellīs | nigrīs nigellīs |
| vocative | nigrī nigellī | nigrae nigellae | nigra nigella |
nĭger, gra, grum (
I. gen. fem. nigraï, Lucr. 4, 537; comp. nigrior, Ov. H. 18, 7), adj., black, sable, dark, dusky (cf.: ater, pullus).
I. Lit.:
quae alba sint, quae nigra, dicere, Cic. Div. 2, 3, 9: quamvis ille niger, quamvis tu candidus esses, Verg. E. 2, 16: hederae nigrae, id. G. 2, 258: silvae (= umbrosae), Hor. C. 1, 21, 7: frons, id. ib. 4, 4, 58: collis, id. ib. 4, 12, 11: lucus, Ov. F. 3, 295 (for which atrum nemus, Verg. A. 1, 165): caelum pice nigrius, Ov. H. 18, 7: nigerrimus Auster, i. e. causing darkness, Verg. G. 3, 278; so, venti, Hor. C. 1, 5, 7: Eurus, id. Epod. 10, 5: nigros efferre maritos, i. e. killed by poison, Juv. 1, 71; cf.: pocula nigra, poisoned, Prop. 2, 20, 68 (3, 23, 10).—Prov.: facere candida de nigris; nigra in candida vertere, to turn black into white, Juv. 3, 29; cf. Ov. M. 11, 315.—Subst.: nĭgrum, i, n., a black spot, Ov. A. A. 1, 291.—II. Trop.
A. Of or pertaining to death:
nigrorumque memor, dum licet, ignium (= lugubris rogi), of the funeral pile, Hor. C. 4, 12, 26: hora, Tib. 3, 5, 5: dies, the day of death, Prop. 2 (3), 19, 19. Juppiter niger, i. e. Pluto, Sen. Herc. Oet. 1705.—C. Unlucky, ill-omened: huncine solem Tam nigrum surrexe mihi? Hor. S. 1, 9, 72; Prop. 2, 21, 38 (3, 25, 4): lapis, the spot in the Comitium where Romulus or one of his adherents was slain, Paul. ex Fest. p. 177 Müll.—
D. Of character, black, bad, wicked:
Phormio, nec minus niger, nec minus confidens, quam ille Terentianus est Phormio, Cic. Caecin. 10, 27: hic niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto, Hor. S. 1, 4, 85.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
niger gra, grum, adj. with (poet.) comp. nigrior and sup. nigerrimus
1 NEC-, black, sable, dark, dusky : quae alba sint, quae nigra, dicere: hederae, V.: Silvae, gloomy , H.: lucus, O.: caelum pice nigrius, O.: nigerrimus Auster, gloomy , V.: nigros efferre maritos, i. e. kill by poison , Iu.—With acc: (avis) nigra pedes, O.—Prov.: Candida de nigris facere, O.: nigrum in candida vertere, make black white , Iu.—Fig., gloomy, unlucky, ill-omened : hun<*>ine solem Tam nigrum surrexe mihi? H.: ignes, i. e. funeral , H.: hora, of death , Tb.— Black, bad, wicked : nec minus niger, quam Phormio, a blackleg : delectatus sale nigro, malicious , H.
Origins
Uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare, naked”) if this root is assumed also to be the source of *nókʷts (“night”) (Latin nox), thus “black” would attest the intermediate meaning between “bare” and “night”. Possibly cognate with Umbrian 𐌍𐌉𐌓𐌖 (niru, “(possibly) dark, black”), though this form (thought to be accusative singular) is not mentioned in De Vaan.
Gallo-Romance
- Catalannegre
- Occitannegrefrom Old Occitan negre
- Occitannerfrom Old Occitan negre
- Occitannèirfrom Old Occitan negre
- Franco-Provençalnêr
- Old Frenchnoir
- Aragonesenegrefrom Catalan negre
- Gasconnerefrom Old Occitan negre
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiannegro
- Italiannero
- Corsicannegru
- Corsicanneru
- Istriotnìgro
- Istriotnìgaro
- Neapolitannicro
- Neapolitanniro
- Siciliannìguru
- Siciliannìvuru
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniannegru
- Aromaniannegru
- Aromaniannegur
- Aromanianneguru
- Istro-Romaniannegru
- Megleno-Romaniannegru
Ibero-Romance
- Spanishnegrofrom Old Spanish negro
- Aragonesenegro
- Aragoneseniero
- Old Galician-Portuguesenegro
- Asturiannegrufrom Old Leonese negru
- Asturianniegrufrom Old Leonese negru
- Asturianñegrufrom Old Leonese negru
- Asturiannigrufrom Old Leonese negru
- Asturianñiegrufrom Old Leonese negru
- Extremadurannegrufrom Old Leonese negru
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulianneri
- Ladinneigher
- Romanshnair
- Romanshneir
- Romanshner
- Romanshnegher
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliannaigher
- Ligurianneigro
- Lombardnegar
- Lombardnegher
- Piedmonteseneir
- Piedmontesenégher
- Romagnolnégar
- Romagnolnìgar
Borrowings
- Idonigrafrom Esperanto nigra
- Interlinguanigre