Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Used as a disparaging term for a Native American.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A Red Indian; a North American Indian.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A common appellation for a North American Indian; -- so called from the color of the skin. It is now considered pejorative by some persons of North American Indian heritage.
  • noun (Football) A member of the Washington Redskins, a football team.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pejorative, politically incorrect, ethnic slur An American Indian, Red Indian.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (slang) offensive term for Native Americans

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the reddish skin colour of American Indians.

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Examples

  • Colonists used scalping to prove they had killed an Indian for bounty which is where the term "redskin" came from - and why they deem the Washingon Redskins so negatively

    digg.com: Top News 2011

  • Probably becuase the term redskin has nothing to do with skin color but rather the red buckskin worn by indian warriors before going to battle??

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local 2010

  • 34 Their media guide—on page 272, no less—reads that “the term redskin... was inspired not by their natural complexion but by their fondness for vermillion makeup.”

    Bad Sports Dave Zirin 2010

  • 34 Their media guide—on page 272, no less—reads that “the term redskin... was inspired not by their natural complexion but by their fondness for vermillion makeup.”

    Bad Sports Dave Zirin 2010

  • 34 Their media guide—on page 272, no less—reads that “the term redskin... was inspired not by their natural complexion but by their fondness for vermillion makeup.”

    Bad Sports Dave Zirin 2010

  • 34 Their media guide—on page 272, no less—reads that “the term redskin... was inspired not by their natural complexion but by their fondness for vermillion makeup.”

    Bad Sports Dave Zirin 2010

  • The name redskin was never intended to be a word to honor Native Americans.

    Tim Giago: Mascots, Ignorance and Racism 2008

  • We didn't view the name redskin as a negative thing - although I can understand the term would be considered offensive.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local WhoGnu 2010

  • We didn't view the name redskin as a negative thing - although I can understand the term would be considered offensive.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local WhoGnu 2010

  • We didn't view the name redskin as a negative thing - although I can understand the term would be considered offensive.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local WhoGnu 2010

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