The coon caricature was born during american slavery The meaning of coon is raccoon. Slave masters and overseers often described the enslaved as slow, lazy, wants pushing, an eye servant, and trifling.
When to use what does coon mean / kuːn / uk / kuːn / an extremely offensive word for a black person (definition of coon from the cambridge advanced learner's dictionary & thesaurus © cambridge university press) This article includes content dealing with racism
It’s rooted in the racist history of blackface and comes from a shortening of raccoon. The word coon is a racial slur that has been used historically to degrade and dehumanize blacks The word is still used by some people for this purpose, and it is seen as offensive and hurtful to blacks. White people use this ethnic slur as a derogatory term for a black man
Do use “coon” when referring to raccoons or in a humorous animal context Don’t use “coon” as a slur or to mock people—it’s offensive and hurtful. (informal, south africa) a member of a colorfully dressed dance troupe in cape town during new year celebrations (southern us, ethnic slur) a coonass
(us, dated) a sly fellow.
