Injun

/ˈɪndʒən/ noun

Definition

A highly offensive and outdated slur for Native Americans, based on a mispronunciation of 'Indian.'

Etymology

From a dialectal or mispronounced variant of 'Indian' (from India, from the Latin name for the Indus River, though applied to the Americas by Columbus). The word became a slur through casual racism.

Kelly Says

This word is a reminder that slurs often come from simple mispronunciations that get locked in—Columbus called Native people 'Indians' by accident (looking for Asia), and that error turned into centuries of racist language.

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