Jim Crow

or jim crow

noun

1. a practice or policy of segregating or discriminating against Black people, as in public places, public vehicles, or employment.
2. Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

adjective

1. favoring or supporting a segregationist or discriminatory policy of Jim Crow.
2. for Black people only:

   a Jim Crow school.

jim crow

/ ˈdʒɪm ˈkrəʊ /

noun

1. 1. the policy or practice of segregating Black people
   2. ( as modifier )

      jim-crow laws

2. 1. a derogatory term for a Black person
   2. ( as modifier )

      a jim-crow saloon

3. an implement for bending iron bars or rails
4. a crowbar fitted with a claw

Jim Crow

1. A descriptive term for the segregation of institutions, businesses, hotels, restaurants, and the like. It also refers to the laws that required racial segregation.

Derived Forms

• ˈjim-ˈcrowism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jim Crow¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; so called from the name of a song sung by Thomas Rice (1808–60) in a minstrel show

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jim Crow¹

C19: from Jim Crow, name of song used as the basis of an act by Thomas Rice (1808–60), American entertainer

Example Sentences

In horse racing, Black jockeys won more than half of the Kentucky Derby held from 1875 to 1903 — until Jim Crow eliminated the Black jockey.

From Salon

“So much of what we see is the long tail of slavery and Jim Crow,” said Andrea Ducas, vice president of health policy at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit think tank.

From Salon

But he repeatedly questioned the approach the author took in his book, which compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank to the Jim Crow era of segregation in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

But he questioned the approach the author took in his book, which compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank to the Jim Crow era of segregation in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

But the lies didn’t end in the Jim Crow era.

From Salon