coon:

(plural: ‘coons‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ is said with a ‘k’ sound)

not a decent word; not to be used in formal speech

a black person;

an old, indecent person; a rustic;

(in South Africa) a person born of parents of different colours, i.e. mother from Africa and father from India, or father from Africa and mother from India;

(in Australia) a black or native (aboriginal),

e.g.

Mr. Thomas is very old, but does he have to be such a coon that everybody avoids him?

The professor visiting the aborigines in the Australian outback was shocked to learn that those innocent people were called coons.

After getting apartheid abolished, the differences between different kinds of coloured people South Africa has become a more serious problem than apartheid itself — differences between native blacks and Asians, between Asians and coons and between Indians and Chinese.

Note 1: ‘Coon’ is also used as a short form for an animal called ‘raccoon‘.

Note 2: ‘Coon’, always with a capital ‘c’, is often found in the surnames of people, e.g. Jermey Coon, Gene Coon, Carlton Coon, etc.

Note 3: A ‘coon cat’, ‘Maine coon’ or ‘Maine coon cat’ is a kind of domestic cat found in North America, specifically native to the State of Maine, USA. And a kind of animal, also called ‘coati’, found in Central and South America, is a kind of animal that looks like and is related to raccoons. For an article on ‘Maine coon’, a breed of cat, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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