the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A small child; especially, a negro or mulatto infant. Now (2001) used primarily in the latter sense, and in that sense often considered derogatory.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. See piccaninny.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. (ethnic slur) offensive term for a Black child
Word Usage
"In 1932 Langston Hughes criticized Little Black Sambo as a typical "pickaninny" storybook which was hurtful to black children, and gradually the book disappeared from lists of recommended stories for children."