Negre

Negre is the Catalan word for "black," used as an adjective to describe color and, in some contexts, other qualities. In Catalan and Occitan, adjectives of color are typically inflected to agree with the noun they modify, and negre functions accordingly. The word also appears in many standard phrases and is found in historical and literary texts.

Etymology and cognates: Negre derives from the Latin Niger, the source of multiple Romance-language words for black. Its cognates include Spanish negro, French noir, Italian nero, Portuguese preto, and Romanian negru, among others. These forms share the same root and often parallel usage in describing color.

Usage and social considerations: In contemporary Catalan, the term appears as a color descriptor, e.g., color negre. When referring to people of African descent, modern Catalan typically uses phrases such as persona negra or persones de raça negra, avoiding the standalone noun negre in most contexts. Language authorities and style guides emphasize respectful, person-first phrasing.

See also: Color terminology and Romance-language cognates.