niger
[ˈnɪ.ɡɛr]
The Latin word for black is niger, used for things that are deep or glossy black. Latin also has ater for a dull, gloomy black. If unsure, use niger.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA |
|---|---|
| niger | [ˈnɪ.ɡɛr] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈniː.d͡ʒer] (narrow) |
| ater | [ˈaː.tɛr] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈaː.ter] (narrow) |
niger describes something that absorbs all light, such as a black bear or a black flower. Both niger and āter also serve as color words.
Which one should you use?
niger usually describes a black that is shiny, glossy or deep. ater describes a dull, matte black and is often tied to darkness, gloom and mourning.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
niger changes to agree with the noun it describes. The feminine singular is nigra and the neuter singular is nigrum. In the masculine, the genitive singular is nigri and the accusative singular is nigrum.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use niger unchanged with every noun. Match the ending to the gender and case of the noun, as in nigra for a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- The root of niger may be related to the word for 'bare' or 'naked'. This suggests a conceptual path where 'bareness' led to 'night' and then to the color 'black'.
- While both words mean 'black', ater was often used in Latin to describe things that were morally foul or ominous. It carries a psychological weight of dread that niger does not.
- The word niger is a linguistic ancestor to several words in Romance languages, such as the Spanish 'negro'. However, the word ater almost entirely disappeared from the common vocabularies of those later languages.
Examples in context
- Nigrum in candida vertere.To turn black into white.Nigrum is the neuter form used as a noun, meaning black as a thing or color.
- Flos niger non est.The flower isn't black.niger agrees with the masculine noun for flower.Tatoeba #7915725 by soweli_Elepanto, translation #7492878 by CK
- Ubi est ursus niger?Where is the black bear?niger describes the bear and comes right after it.Tatoeba #11159459 by carlosalberto, translation #11159447 by carlosalberto
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Gaius are looking at a piece of fabric.
- JuliaVisne hunc pannum niger?Do you want this black cloth?
- GaiusIta, niger mihi placet.Yes, black pleases me.
- JuliaEstne niger nimis?Is it too black?
- GaiusNon, niger optimus est.No, black is best.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries niger, ater, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ater, niger, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
