Bohunk is a disparaging term given to certain Eastern Europeans, ranging from
Hungarians to
Ukrainians. Bohunk is generally applied to Eastern European laborers. The term itself comes from the contractions of
Bohemian and
Hungarian. Bohung then became bohunk.
Bohunk might be the origin of the term "
honky", denoting a white person. Bohunk came into popular use at the start of the 20th century. Bohunk itself became "
hunky" in some parts of North America, like
Chicago. Many Eastern Europeans and blacks worked in Chicago's
meat packing industry. Black speech patterns likely modified hunky into honky and it became applied to all whites.