Oh the things we learn

Tonight I went out with some friends and we were sitting in a restaurant eating when I said the word "renege" which I pronounce renig. I was telling a girlfriend that she needed to renege on her plans and get her butt to work on a project for school instead. I guess this drew looks from the African American family behind me and 2 of the guys with me explained how it is a racial slur. Well I grew up using this word and my father would have never allowed me to use a racial slur. Well needless to say I felt pretty bad. So being the nerd that I am I came home and looked it up. Well it is not a racial slur except in the "overheated imagination of the south" as one great blog put it. It does not have its origins in slavery nor does it refer to the spades cards in card playing but it does have a card playing definition. Here is the definition for all to see, thanks to dictionary.com

re·nege /rɪˈnɪg, -ˈnɛg, -ˈnig/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-nig, -neg, -neeg] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -neged, -neg·ing, noun

–verb (used without object)

1.	Cards. to play a card that is not of the suit led when one can follow suit; break a rule of play.

2.	to go back on one's word: He has reneged on his promise.

–verb (used with object)

3.	Archaic. to deny; disown; renounce.

–noun

4.	Cards. an act or instance of reneging.

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[Origin: 1540–50; earlier renegue <>renegāre, equiv. to re- re- + negāre to deny (cf. negative)]

—Related forms

re·neg·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source

re·nege (rĭ-nĭg', -něg', -nēg') Pronunciation Key v. re·neged, re·neg·ing, re·neges v. intr. To fail to carry out a promise or commitment: reneged on the contract at the last minute. Games To fail to follow suit in cards when able and required by the rules to do so. v. tr. To renounce; disown. n. The act of reneging. [Medieval Latin renegāre, to deny; see renegade.] re·neg'er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source
renege

1548, from M.L. renegare, from L. re-, intensive prefix, + negare "deny" (see deny).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

WordNet - Cite This Source

renege
noun
1.	the mistake of not following suit when able to do so [syn: revoke]
verb
1.	fail to fulfill a promise or obligation; "She backed out of her promise"

WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University