Word
dixie
Phoneticsdix·ie
US/ˈdɪksi/
UK/dˈɪksi/
Definitions
01Southern United States
n. a nickname for the Southern part of the United States, especially the states that were part of the Confederacy.
n. a geographical and cultural nickname for the Southern United States, specifically those states that seceded during the American Civil War.
“He grew up in the heart of Dixie and still has a strong Southern accent.”
“The term Dixie evokes complex historical associations, ranging from nostalgic cultural pride to the painful legacy of the American Civil War.”
American English · Informal
Synonyms
Antonyms
02military cooking pot
n. a large metal pot used by the army to cook food for many soldiers at once.
n. a large iron or steel cooking vessel, typically oval or rectangular, used by military forces for communal catering.
“The soldiers gathered around the large dixie to get their hot stew.”
“The quartermaster ordered several new dixies to ensure the battalion could be fed efficiently during the field exercise.”
British English · Technical
Usage
Commonly used in British military contexts; less frequent in modern civilian English.
Real-World Examples
“For 688 miles, it winds lazily from the Appalachians through Dixie, mostly in rural areas.” 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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
whistle Dixie — To engage in idle conversational fantasies.