Colored or
coloured is a term used in the
United States during the racial segregation times, especially in the
South, to describe people who do not have
White skin or a
Caucasian appearance (non-white) and also people with mixed racial heritage. This usually meant
black African Americans, although the terms can be applied to members of other non-white
races as well. According to the
Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word colored was first used in the 14th Century, but with a completely different meaning not race or ethnicity.