The Word "White" and Its Many Meanings

Throughout history the word "white" has developed many meanings; enough meanings to occupy twelve pages in the Oxford English Dictionary. However, among the definitions of the word "white", there is one definition that stands out.

White is defined in some instances as "...a symbol of purity, goodness, truth, joy," (Oxford English Dictionary 263). This is the definition which this paper will investigate. The definition will be explored through its origins, meaning throughout history, and current usage in the English language.

The word "white" can be traced back all the way to Sanskrit through the word "cvit" (Oxford English Dictionary 263). "White" then came into Proto Indo-European as the word "kweid" or "kwid". As the Indo-European languages divided and evolved, the Proto-Germanic form of "white" became "hwitaz" (Barnhart 1233). Eventually, the word came into Old English as "hwaIt" (Oxford English Dictionary 263).

Through the evolution of the English language, the word became "whit" in Middle English. Eventually, it came to be spelled and pronounced as it is today during Early Modern English (Skeat 712). The word shares many cognates with languages such as Old Frisian and Old Saxon, in the word "hwit", Dutch, in the word "wit", and many more (Barnhart 1233).

In Sanskrit, "white" meant "to be bright or white," (Oxford English Dictionary 263). During the time of Proto Indo-European, the word's meaning changed only slightly to mean "white, shining...the white robes worn for baptism," (Shipley 197). Eventually, Old English assigned the meaning "Of the colour of snow or milk." However, over time the word's meaning evolved into something very different; "Morally or spiritually pure or stainless; spotless, unstained, innocent." The first documented case of the word being used according to this definition dates back to 971 A.D. (Oxford English Dictionary 263). This shows that the word white is polysemic, having many definitions loosely related to the original definition (Finegan 195).

The word's evolution from simply meaning a color, to a socially charged term meaning purity and goodness is very interesting. This changed occurred through a metaphorical extension (Finegan 197) in which the word gained the meaning "purity and goodness" from the fact that clergy and religious officials wore white. The first instance of the word applying to clergy was documented in 1622 A.D. (Oxford English Dictionary 262). However, as can be seen above, as far back as Proto Indo-European people used the term to identify "...robes worn for baptism...", a ritual which is designed to purify one in the eyes of God (Shipley 197).

At a time when religion was much more important to people then it is today, the word "white" carried a great deal of affective, or emotional, meaning (Finegan 183). To the people who used the word, "white" meant more than simply goodness or purity; the word had a direct connection to divinity through baptism and clergy. For example, in the late nineteenth century the term white-choker was coined, meaning "a clergyman...the white bands that are part of his dress." In the mid-nineteenth century that same expression evolved into white-chokerism, meaning "respectability" (Green 1280).

Through the years, "white" was combined with many other words to create a variety of expressions. Among these terms were expressions such as "white boy" of the seventeenth century, represents "an especial favourite, a 'mother's darling'...the image white to denote purity and innocence," (Green 1280). The expression gained this meaning from an associated term of the fifteenth century, "white-headed boy", denoting "...one who can, in the right eyes, can do no wrong," (Green 1281). Additionally, the term "white hat", meaning "a good guy; a hero," came into being in the 1970's. This term, also associating the color white with positive personal qualities, reflected the current trend of western movies to portray the "good guys" wearing white hats, and the "bad guys" wearing black hats (Spears 466).

The term "white knight" came about in the 1980's when companies were in financial trouble due to the current recession. A "white knight" was "A champion or rescuer, especially one who comes to the aid of a company in financial difficulty." The term was derived from the typical knight in shining armor found in fairy tales (Room 748). For example, in the movie Snow White, a handsome prince rescues helpless Snow White after she has fell into a deep sleep after biting a poison apple given to her by the evil and envious Queen.

This movie makes two compelling insights into the meaning of the word "white" at the time the story was written. First, the fact that the prince who rescues Snow White is on white horse reinforces the view that good people are associated with the color white, as seen in the terms "white boy" and "white hat". Secondly, the name of the girl, Snow White, is used to reflect her purity and goodness, in contrast to the evil Queen, who is consistently, pictured wearing black clothing.

Many expressions using the word "white" have been designed to reflect the fact that black is bad and white is good. As seen above, the term "white hat" and the name "Snow White" both reflect this principle. One definition of "white" cites that white is "chiefly in collocation with black," (Oxford English Dictionary 264). In addition, expressions such as "white list" from the twentieth century, meaning "The opposite of black list, as a list of people or products viewed with approval," (Room 748). Another term dating from the nineteenth century "white magic" is defined as "...harmless, or good, as opposed to black," (Shipley 166). Both "white list" and "white magic", create the illusion that white is the opposite of black, when in fact in the realm of color, the two are hyponyms, belonging to the same semantic field with color being the superordinate term. Therefore, black and white are not opposite terms (Finegan 188).

The dichotomy between black and white came to create a great number of social problems in America in regards to race. The Dictionary of Bias Free Usage notes, "When possible avoid the metaphorical use of this word to stand for purity, goodness, or rightness...replace terms like 'white lie' and circumvent others like 'white knight'," (Maggio 282). The reason why one must be so sensitive when using the word "white" to denote goodness and purity is because "white" has now become a term associated with the Caucasian race. Defined, "white" in some instances in the U.S. means "Honourable; square dealing," when associated with race (Oxford English Dictionary 264). For instance, expressions such as "white man" in the late nineteenth century meant "An honourable person," (Green 1280).

Unlike the previous expressions, these terms served as a direct attack on African-Americans. The terms had come to have no association with the color, only the definition of purity and goodness spawned from the original meaning. Because the conflict between "whites" and "blacks" occurred solely in the U.S., the word "white" is not used in England and other English speaking countries to denote "light complexion" (Oxford English Dictionary 262). Therefore, the word "white" came to hold a great deal of social meaning because it served as an indication of one's country of origin (Finegan 183).

Two social events only helped to widen the gap between "white" and "black" Americans. These events were used to create terms which used the word "white" to express the struggle of the races in the U.S. The first is the early twentieth century term "white man's burden". The expression originated in a poem written by Rudyard Kipling in 1899 titled "White Man's Burden". The poem claimed that it was the white race's responsibility to supervise the dealings of non-whites who were less "civilized" (Webber et al. 572). This expression implied the white race's superiority and conveyed the attitude of colonialism in the nineteenth century.

Furthermore, the term "white hope" reflected a growing unrest among Caucasians in the U.S. towards African-Americans in sports. 1908 marked the year that the first African-American, Jack Johnson, won the Heavy Weight Championship title in boxing. Johnson held this title for seven years, beating several white opponents in that time. The expression came to represent "A person expected to bring success to a team or organization...a white boxer who might have been able to beat Jack Johnson," (Room 747).

In retaliation, the African-American, or "black" community, responded by defining "white" as "...patronizing, exploitative..." Moreover, African-Americans created terms such as "white trash" denoting "Poor whites living in the southern states of the USA...used with connotations of degeneracy and squalor," (Thorne 560). The term "white house" was also used in a derogatory manner in the 1950's until the 1970's. It was defined by the African-American community as "The world of White society...a reference to the White House, home of the U.S. presidency," (Green 1282). Also, the expression "white white" used in the 1990's implied "A White person without the slightest knowledge of or interest in Black culture," (Green 1282).

However this was not the only time throughout history which the word "white" gained a negative connotation. For example, terms such as "white apron" meaning "a prostitute...recognized as a prostitute's 'uniform'" came into popularity in the sixteenth century (Green 1280). Also, tuberculosis became known as the "white death" because it was a disease which white men suffered from (Oxford English Dictionary 266). In addition, the term "white sepulcher" came to mean "Someone or something that is inwardly corrupt or wicked but outwardly virtuous," (Weber et al. 571).

The evolution of the word white has been heavily socially influenced. It has progressed from simply being a color to being a highly socially charged term for the Caucasian race. The term has come full circle from meaning something good and pure, to something corrupt and sickly. Although it is clear how the word grew to mean the many things it does today, it is not clear why English speakers grant the word such social power. It is also not clear what the word will mean in the centuries to come. However, what is apparent is the word's ability to change and evolve with the current climate of society.
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