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ArchivesWhat is the etymology of Dixie (F, US)?
Tried my trusty Oxford English Dictionary, but it mentions "Origin obscure"
Another "dixie" definition is given by OED ("An iron kettle or pot, used by soldiers for making tea or stew" from the Persian "degcha") but it is probably unrelated to the Dixie in question. It does however bring the expression "the pot calling the kettle black" in mind, particularly regarding those who selfrighteously point their fingers to "Dixie " as racist.
Another "dixie" definition is given by OED ("An iron kettle or pot, used by soldiers for making tea or stew" from the Persian "degcha") but it is probably unrelated to the Dixie in question. It does however bring the expression "the pot calling the kettle black" in mind, particularly regarding those who selfrighteously point their fingers to "Dixie " as racist.
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Replies
The history of the name Dixie is somewhat in the air.
A northern songwriter wrote the song "Dixie " prior to the
outbreak of the Civil War. Two ideas are that 1. The land
south of the Mason Dixon line was called Dixie . 2. That a unit of
currency used in the New Orleans Erea (ie: the french quarter)was
called dix (or something close to that, its been a while since I checked on this). I found this out in a book of American folk songs
titled "Best Loved American Folk Songs" by John Lomax
A northern songwriter wrote the song "Dixie " prior to the
outbreak of the Civil War. Two ideas are that 1. The land
south of the Mason Dixon line was called Dixie . 2. That a unit of
currency used in the New Orleans Erea (ie: the french quarter)was
called dix (or something close to that, its been a while since I checked on this). I found this out in a book of American folk songs
titled "Best Loved American Folk Songs" by John Lomax
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Hooray! Hooray!
'Tis both a happy and sad text at the same time I think.
The Song of Dixie
Oh, I wish I was in the land of Cotton--Old times there are not forgotten
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
In Dixie Land where I was born in early on one frosty mornin'
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
Chorus:
Then I wish I was in Dixie . Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand: To live and die in Dixie !
Away! Away! Away down south in Dixie .
Away! Away! Away down south in Dixie .
Ole Missus marry "Will the weaver", Willum was a gay deceiver.
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
But when he put his arm around’er, He smiled fierce as a forty pounder!
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver, But that did not seem to grieve'er
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
Ole Missus acted the foolish part, And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
Now here's a health to the next ole Missus, An ' all the gals that want to kiss us;
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
'Tis both a happy and sad text at the same time I think.
The Song of Dixie
Oh, I wish I was in the land of Cotton--Old times there are not forgotten
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
In Dixie Land where I was born in early on one frosty mornin'
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
Chorus:
Then I wish I was in Dixie . Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand: To live and die in Dixie !
Away! Away! Away down south in Dixie .
Away! Away! Away down south in Dixie .
Ole Missus marry "Will the weaver", Willum was a gay deceiver.
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
But when he put his arm around’er, He smiled fierce as a forty pounder!
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver, But that did not seem to grieve'er
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
Ole Missus acted the foolish part, And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land (Chorus)
Now here's a health to the next ole Missus, An ' all the gals that want to kiss us;
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
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The New York Yankees live in Dixieland?
From http://www.wordorigins.org/wordord.htm
DIXIE
The term Dixie, used to refer to the American South, is of unknown etymology. There are several competing theories, but before examining them, let's look at what we do know about the word.
All sources agree that earliest recorded use of the term is the song Johnny Roach, written by Daniel D. Emmett, a blackface minstrel originally from Ohio. The song was first performed in February 1859. Emmett also wrote the more famous Dixie's Land which immortalized the term, and first performed that song in April of that year. While there is no recorded use of the term prior to Emmett's songs, there are attestations that the term was in use before 1859. Emmett himself never claimed to have originated the word, saying that it was one he had heard in use. (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang)
So if Emmett did not coin the term, where did it come from? There are three major hypotheses:
The term is simply a reference to the Mason-Dixon Line, the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland that separated the slave states from the free states. Most authorities tend to favor this origin because it is the simplest and most obvious.
The term comes from the French dix meaning ten. The Citizen's Bank of Louisiana issued bilingual, ten-dollar bank notes which bore that French word. These notes circulated widely in the South before the Civil War. The problem with this hypothesis is that no reference to dixies meaning the plural of the bank note has been found.
The term is a reference to Johan Dixie (or Dixy), a Manhattan slave owner of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. Dixie was kind to his slaves, but they were sold South either when Dixie died or when New York abolished slavery. Dixie's former slaves spread stories about how good life was in "Dixie's Land" up north. While it is deliciously ironic to think that Dixie first referred to New York City, there is no evidence to indicate that this is the origin. In 1872, New York Weekly's 30 December issue claimed that Dixie originated in New York City and was associated with a children's game of tag (HDAS). What that magazine's basis for the claim was is unknown.
To summarize, the best guess is that it comes from the Mason-Dixon Line, although no one knows for sure.
From http://www.wordorigins.org/wordord.htm
DIXIE
The term Dixie, used to refer to the American South, is of unknown etymology. There are several competing theories, but before examining them, let's look at what we do know about the word.
All sources agree that earliest recorded use of the term is the song Johnny Roach, written by Daniel D. Emmett, a blackface minstrel originally from Ohio. The song was first performed in February 1859. Emmett also wrote the more famous Dixie's Land which immortalized the term, and first performed that song in April of that year. While there is no recorded use of the term prior to Emmett's songs, there are attestations that the term was in use before 1859. Emmett himself never claimed to have originated the word, saying that it was one he had heard in use. (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang)
So if Emmett did not coin the term, where did it come from? There are three major hypotheses:
The term is simply a reference to the Mason-Dixon Line, the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland that separated the slave states from the free states. Most authorities tend to favor this origin because it is the simplest and most obvious.
The term comes from the French dix meaning ten. The Citizen's Bank of Louisiana issued bilingual, ten-dollar bank notes which bore that French word. These notes circulated widely in the South before the Civil War. The problem with this hypothesis is that no reference to dixies meaning the plural of the bank note has been found.
The term is a reference to Johan Dixie (or Dixy), a Manhattan slave owner of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. Dixie was kind to his slaves, but they were sold South either when Dixie died or when New York abolished slavery. Dixie's former slaves spread stories about how good life was in "Dixie's Land" up north. While it is deliciously ironic to think that Dixie first referred to New York City, there is no evidence to indicate that this is the origin. In 1872, New York Weekly's 30 December issue claimed that Dixie originated in New York City and was associated with a children's game of tag (HDAS). What that magazine's basis for the claim was is unknown.
To summarize, the best guess is that it comes from the Mason-Dixon Line, although no one knows for sure.
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Donkeyshoen, Nan :)
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