dixie

¹

[ dik-see ]

noun

, Indian English.

1. a large iron pot, especially a 12-gallon camp kettle used by the British Army.

Dixie

²

[ dik-see ]

noun

1. Also called Dixieland, the southern states of the United States, especially those that were formerly part of the Confederacy.
2. (italics) any of several songs with this name, especially the minstrel song (1859) by D. D. Emmett, popular as a Confederate war song.
3. a female given name.

adjective

1. of, from, or characteristic of the southern states of the United States.

dixie

¹

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

1. military a large metal pot for cooking, brewing tea, etc
2. a mess tin

dixie

²

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

1. dialect.
   a lookout

Dixie

³

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

1. Also calledDixieland the southern states of the US; the states that joined the Confederacy during the Civil War
2. a song adopted as a marching tune by the Confederate states during the American Civil War

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the southern states of the US

“Dixie”

1. An American song of the nineteenth century. It was used to build enthusiasm for the South during the Civil War and still is treated this way in the southern states. It was written for use in the theater by a northerner, Daniel Decatur Emmett. As usually sung today, “Dixie” begins:

   I wish I was in the land of cotton;

   Old times there are not forgotten:

   Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dixie¹

1895–1900; < Hindi dēgcī, diminutive of dēgcā pot

Origin of dixie²

1855–60, Americanism; often said to be (Mason-)Dix(on line) + -ie

Word History and Origins

Origin of dixie¹

C19: from Hindi degcī, diminutive of degcā pot

Origin of dixie²

C19: perhaps from the nickname of New Orleans, from dixie a ten-dollar bill printed there, from French dix ten

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. whistle Dixie, to indulge in unrealistically optimistic fantasies.

Example Sentences

The brand was designed in collaboration with influencers Dixie and Charli D’Amelio, sisters who have a combined TikTok following of more than 170 million on the short-form video-sharing platform, making it an obvious venue for the debut.

From Washington Post

I had walked several hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail in 2019 the first time someone asked me just how many Dixie videos I’d seen.

From Outside Online

Then he started singing “Dixie,” the anthem of the Old South.

From Washington Post

He also wrote Playing to Win about how he got involved in Dixie’s softball league and the family’s experience with travel sports teams.

From The Daily Beast

During his freshman year of college, Hogue realized that the Confederate anthem “Dixie” was played before home and away games.

From Washington Post

Hell, one of the Dixie Chicks even offered to Uber her balls over to the company.

From The Daily Beast

My friend the political scientist Tom Schaller said all this back in 2008, in his book Whistling Past Dixie.

From The Daily Beast

But Florida is kind of an outlier, because culturally, only the northern half of Florida is Dixie.

From The Daily Beast

It had been a last holdout state in old Dixie that still elected some Democrats to its top offices.

From The Daily Beast

I mean, there can be little doubt that public opinion in Dixie in 1954 opposed the integration of the schools.

From The Daily Beast

She remembered so well the morning he rode off on his prancing horse, with the bands playing Dixie.

From Project Gutenberg

We almost felt like having that bright little ditty 'In Dixie's Land' served up to us, we all felt so jubilant.

From Project Gutenberg

When, however, the music glided into the exhilarating notes of "Dixie" I joined in the cheering that mingled with the strain.

From Project Gutenberg

The Dixie magneto, shown at Fig. 66, operates on a different principle than the rotary armature type.

From Project Gutenberg

The death of Mr. Strahm occurred February 11, 1895, at which time his remains were interred in the Dixie cemetery.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Dixie

Why is Dixie trending?

On June 25, 2020, searches for Dixie increased 2,048% compared to the previous week after the popular country music band the Dixie Chicks announced it was changing its name to just the Chicks.

More information on Dixie

The term Dixie is an informal name for the states in the U.S. South, especially those that seceded and formed the Confederacy. Dixie is generally thought to be based on the Mason-Dixon Line, a boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland popularly considered to divide the states that did and did not enslave people before the abolition of slavery.

Amid growing awareness of systemic racism in the U.S. following the George Floyd protests, the association of Dixie with the Confederate States, slavery, and blackface prompted the Dixie Chicks to drop Dixie from their name. Other brands featuring Dixie in their name have also been considering name changes.

In a similar move, another country music group, Lady Antebellum, changed their name to Lady A due to the close association of antebellum, meaning “before the Civil War,” with slavery.