Pickaninny (also picaninny or piccaninny)'s a term – generally considered derogatory – that in English usage refers to black children, or a caricature of them which's widely considered racist. It's a pidgin word form, which may be derived from the Portuguese pequenino (an affectionate term derived from pequeno ("little"). Usage In the Southern United States, pickaninny was long used to refer to the children of African slaves or (later) of African American citizens. While this use of… (More on Pickaninny)