Dixie

See also: dixie

English

Etymology

First attested in 1859. Unknown, but may come from the Mason-Dixon line, the boundary between the northern states and the southern states, or from the slang term dixie for a Louisiana $10 bill (equivalent to English tenner), in turn from French dix (ten).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪksi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪksi

Proper noun

Dixie

1. (informal, US) The southern United States, especially the former Confederate States; the South.

   Synonym: Dixieland

2. (informal, US) The southwestern corner of Utah.
3. (US) A female given name transferred from the place name.
4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A populated place in Maricopa County, Arizona.
   2. A census-designated place in Brooks County, Georgia.
   3. An unincorporated community in Newton County, Georgia.
   4. An unincorporated community in Elmore County, Idaho.
   5. An unincorporated community in Idaho County, Idaho.
   6. An unincorporated community in Harrison County, Indiana.
   7. An unincorporated community in Henderson County, Kentucky.
   8. An unincorporated community in Whitley County, Kentucky.
   9. An unincorporated community in Caddo Parish, Louisiana.
   10. An unincorporated community in Callaway County, Missouri.
   11. An unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon.
   12. A historical community in Grant County, Oregon.
   13. A historical community in Washington County, Oregon.
   14. An unincorporated community in Fluvanna County, Virginia.
   15. An unincorporated community in Mathews County, Virginia.
   16. A census-designated place in Walla Walla County, Washington.
   17. An unincorporated community in Harrison County, West Virginia.
   18. A census-designated place in Fayette County and Nicholas County, West Virginia.
5. A neighbourhood of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
6. A rural locality in the Shire of Cook, northern Queensland, Australia.
7. A locality in the Shire of Corangamite, south western Victoria, Australia.

Synonyms

• Dixieland
• South

Derived terms

• Dixie County
• Dixiecrat
• Dixie Alley

Further reading

• Michael Quinion (2004), “Dixie”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.