mean white
Preserved but no longer current.
A term of contempt among negroes, in the old slavery days, for white men without landed property. A white man in the Southern States had no locus standi unless he possessed property, and the blackest of niggers would have felt insulted at any "poor white trash" claiming to be "a man and brother."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “mean white” mean?
A term of contempt among negroes, in the old slavery days, for white men without landed property. A white man in the Southern States had no locus standi unless he possessed property, and the blackest of niggers would have felt insulted at any "poor white trash" claiming to be "a man and brother."
Is “mean white” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.