nigrare

Nigare is a Latin verb meaning to blacken or to darken. It belongs to the first conjugation and is typically cited with the principal parts nigro, nigrare, nigravi, nigratum; the infinitive is nigrare, and the first-person present indicative is nigro (“I blacken”). The perfect active form is nigravi, and the supine is nigratum. The verb derives from the Latin root nigr- meaning black, related to the adjective niger (black) and to other derivatives such as nigra.

In classical usage, nigrare would describe the act of making something black through pigment, dye, or other means. It appears in Latin texts in descriptions of coloration or processing of materials, though it is not among the most common verbs in surviving literature. Today, the term is mainly of philological interest for students of Latin grammar and historical language study, and it is rarely used outside discussions of Latin morphology or etymology.

The root nigr- continues to influence scientific and academic terminology through Latin-derived forms. For example, substantia nigra is a brain structure whose name means “black substance,” reflecting historical observations of its appearance.

See also: niger; nigra; substantia nigra; nigro- (prefix).