In the English language, the word nigger is a racial slur typically directed at black people. The word first originated in the 18th century as an adaptation of the Spanish negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger which means black. It was often used derogatorily, and by the mid-twentieth century, particularly in the United States, its usage became unambiguously pejorative, a racist insult. Accordingly, it began to disappear from popular culture, and its continued inclusion in classic works of literature has sparked controversy. Because the term is considered extremely offensive, it is often referred to by the euphemism N-word.
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