octoroon
/ˌɒktəˈruːn
/(also octaroon)
noun dated or offensive
A person who is one-eighth black by descent.He has no trouble referring to ‘full-bloods’, ‘half-castes’, ‘octoroons’....
- When Ellen was reading stories of old New Orleans, the concept of ‘mulattos’ and ‘octoroons’ prompted her to curious questions.
- Yes, in the American south well past the days of slavery, you could find references to maroons, quadroons, octoroons, etc.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from octo- 'eight', on the pattern of quadroon.