The description of populations as white in reference to their skin colour predates and is distinct from the race categories constructed from the 17th century onward. Coloured terminology is occasionally found in Graeco-Roman ethnography and other ancient and medieval sources, but these societies did not have any notion of a white or pan-European race. In Graeco-Roman society whiteness was a somatic norm, although this norm could be rejected and it did not coincide with any system of discrimination or colour prejudice. Historically, before the late modern period, cultures outside of Europe and North America, such as those in the Middle East and China, employed concepts of whiteness. Eventually these were progressively marginalised and replaced by the European form of racialised whiteness. Whiteness has no enduring "true essence", but instead is a social construct that is dependent on differing societal, geographic, and historical meanings. Scholarship on race distinguishes the modern concept from pre-modern descriptions, which focused on skin colour, complexion and other physical traits.
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Pre-modern conceptions of whiteness in the context of White women
White is a historical specification of skin color and a modern classification of race. Most often, it is applied to generally identify people of European origin, but the exact definition of "White" can vary depending on context and points of view. Beyond racialization, the word simply denotes any person with light skin, usually that which is colored carnation.
Description of populations as "White" in reference to their skin color is occasionally found in Greco-Roman ethnography and in other ancient or medieval sources, but these societies did not have any notion of a "White race" or a pan-European identity. The racialized understanding of "White race" or "White people" entered the major European languages in the late 17th century, when the concept of a "unified White people" achieved greater acceptance in Europe, particularly in the context of race-based slavery and social status in the world's European colonies. Scholarship on race distinguishes the modern concept from pre-modern descriptions, which focused on physical complexion rather than the idea of race. Prior to the modern era, no European peoples regarded themselves as "White" and instead defined their identity in terms of their religion, ancestry, ethnicity, or nationality.