Mongoloid

 
Pronunciation: /ˈmɒŋg(ə)lɔɪd/

adjective

  • 1relating to the broad division of humankind including the indigenous peoples of East Asia, SE Asia, and the Arctic region of North America.
  • 2 (mongoloid) offensive having Down’s syndrome.

noun

  • 1a person of a Mongoloid physical type.
  • 2 offensive a person with Down’s syndrome.

The terms Mongoloid, Negroid, Caucasoid, and Australoid were introduced by 19th-century anthropologists such as Blumenbach attempting to classify human racial types, but today they are recognized as having very limited validity as scientific categories. Although occasionally used when making broad generalizations about the world’s populations, in most modern contexts they are potentially offensive, especially when used of individuals. The names of specific peoples or nationalities should be used instead wherever possible.