about the word "nigga"

Question

My friend said "hi ***" when we were chatting on Facebook
He said the word "***" also means "bro" or used as an informal greeting.
For I knowledge it means nothing more than a racist term describing black people.
I searched on Google and I couldn't find his definition of the word
is he correct?
Thanks

P.S. I'm not black, so he didn't mean to be racist

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi Khorozm;

Welcome to English Forums.

The word you are asking about is a dialect pronunciation of n-i-g-g-e-r.
This is a very very offensive racial slur in the US. Only people of color can be excused for using it.
Black comedians sometimes use it, for example. I would not use such language.

Here is the usage note from the dictionary entry:
The term is now probably the most offensive word in English. Its degree of offensiveness has increased markedly in recent years, although it has been used in a derogatory manner since at least the Revolutionary War. The senses labeled Extremely Disparaging and Offensive represent meanings that are deeply insulting and are used when the speaker deliberately wishes to cause great offense. It is so profoundly offensive that a euphemism has developed for those occasions when the word itself must be discussed, as in court or in a newspaper editorial: “the n-word.”
Despite this, the sense referring to a “black person” is sometimes used among African-Americans in a neutral or familiar way. The sense referring to other victims of prejudice, especially when used descriptively, as to denounce that prejudice, is not normally considered disparaging—as in “The Irish are the ******* of Europe” from Roddy Doyle's The Commitments —but the other uses are considered contemptuous and hostile.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/***?s=t

Khorozm · Answer

thanks for the detailed answer
does *** or *** mean anything else?
for example a greeting to non-black people, espectially in Europe?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Your words are bad enough to be suppressed by our filters.
In general, it is best to greet people with polite words.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Aside from how offensive it is, it's illogical to refer to a European that way. I suggest you tell your friend he will be leaving a wake of offense if he continues to greet people this way.

about the word "nigga"

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