coloured, participial adjective and & noun
- Forms:
- Also (frequently) with initial capital, and (formerly) colored.
- Origin:
- English, South African EnglishShow more Special senses of general English coloured (of or pertaining to) a dark-skinned person entirely or partially of black African descent, a meaning no longer current in South African English.
- Note:
- Since the late 1970s used often in inverted commas, or in the phrase so-called coloured, indicating the speaker or writer’s disapproval of ethnic classification.
A. participial adjective Of a person or group.
a. Of mixed ethnic origin, including Khoisan, African slave, Malay, Chinese, white, and other descent; of or pertaining to such a person or group; brown adjective sense 2; Eurafrican adjective.
- Note:
- The word has been used for over one and a half centuries, and numerous Acts have entrenched its use. However the Population Registration Act of 1950 made this term an official ethnic label in terms of the law (see next sense).
1829 W. Shaw Diary. 20 Sept.I was much gratified with every part of the arrangements, excepting that the poor black and coloured children appeared to me, to be too lightly esteemed, though forming an interesting and important part of the Institution.
1992 J. Pearce in South 27 Feb. 4A new organisation aims to keep the coloured flag flying because it believes the coloureds are being marginalised.
b. historical. During the apartheid era: classified as a ‘coloured’ according to the provisions of the Population Registration Act; of or pertaining to such a person or group. See also Cape Coloured participial adjectival phrase, classify, other coloured participial adjectival phrase.
1950 Act 30 in Stat. of Union 277‘Coloured person’ means a person who is not a white person or a native.
1990 S. Gray in Staffrider Vol.9 No.1, 50I said I would not phone the Harbour Cafe, the famous tourist restaurant on the Cape Town waterfront, either to make a booking or confirm if I could bring my so-called coloured friend along.
B. noun , plural -s, or unchanged. a. A person of mixed black (or brown) and white descent who speaks either English or Afrikaans as home language; Afrikander noun sense 2; brown noun sense 1; Eurafrican noun; Hottentot noun sense 4 a; kleurling noun sense 1 (often derogatory); person of colour, see colour sense 2. See also Bastard noun sense 1. b. historical. One ‘classified’ as coloured in terms of the Population Registration Act. See also Cape Coloured noun phrase, other coloured noun phrase.
1949 J.S. Franklin This Union 196There are nearly a million Coloureds in the Union, and but for the European they would not be there.
1992 J. Contreras in Newsweek 20 July 33The movement (sc. the ANC) was not ‘making much progress’ among whites or the country’s other two minorities, Indians and mixed-race Coloreds.
Of mixed ethnic origin, including Khoisan, African slave, Malay, Chinese, white, and other descent; of or pertaining to such a person or group; brown adjective sense 2; Eurafrican adjective.
During the apartheid era: classified as a ‘coloured’ according to the provisions of the Population Registration Act; of or pertaining to such a person or group. See also Cape Coloured participial adjectival phrase, classify, other coloured participial adjectival phrase.
A person of mixed black (or brown) and white descent who speaks either English or Afrikaans as home language; Afrikander noun sense 2; brown noun sense 1; Eurafrican noun; Hottentot noun sense 4 a; kleurling noun sense 1 (often derogatory); person of colour, see colour sense 2.
One ‘classified’ as coloured in terms of the Population Registration Act.
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