niger

Meaning

(adjective, declension-1, declension-2) wan, shining black (as opposed to āter, dull black)
(adjective, declension-1, declension-2) bad; evil; ill-omened

ater

atrox

nigrum

atratus

furvus

āter

nigrans

nigra

fuscus

spinosus

piceus

morulus

picinus

pulleiaceus

cacabatus

nigricolor

caccabatus

μαύρος

μαύρο

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈnɪ.ɡɛr]

Uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- (“bare, naked”) if this root is assumed also to be the source of *nókʷts (“night”) (Latin nox), thus “black” would attest the intermediate meaning between “bare” and “night”. Possibly cognate with Umbrian niru (“(possibly) dark, black”), though this form (thought to be accusative singular) is not mentioned in De Vaan.