Piccaninny/Pickanniny/Pickanin

Appears in various spellings and describes a child, invariably an African or Negro child and dates from the mid-17th century. It is an anglicisation of the Spanish or Portuguese pequeno meaning small and pequenino meaning very small. By the late 18th century, it could refer to any child not necessarily a Negroid one. Now, of course, it is considered politically incorrect to use this word to describe any child.