Etymograph

English

honky

Honky comes from Wolof xonq ‘red’.

  1. Wolofmodernxonq‘red’
  2. Englishtodayhonky

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Wolofmodernxonq‘red’
  2. Englishtodayhonky

The story

Sense of “factory hand” attested from 1946. As a term of racial abuse it was popularized by the Black Panther Party starting from 1967, who sought a rebuttal to nigger.

Every English word from Wolof xonq

Today it means

noun A white (Caucasian) person.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Wolof xonq / honky

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