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• dixie
  dixie

  noun

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

  noun

  the southern states of the United States, especially those that were formerly part of the Confederacy.
• “Dixie”
  “Dixie”

  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.

dixie

¹ American  

[dik-see] / ˈdɪk si /

noun

Indian English.

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

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Dixie ² American  

[dik-see] / ˈdɪk si /

noun

1. Also called Dixie Land.  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.

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adjective

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

idioms

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

dixie ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

1. dialect a lookout

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dixie ² British  

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

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

2. a mess tin

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Dixie ³ British  

/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

1. Also called: Dixieland.  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

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adjective

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

“Dixie” Cultural  

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.

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of dixie¹

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

Origin of Dixie²

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dixie Dixie “Dixie”

According to tradition, the plebes’ grueling first year isn’t over until one of them replaces the dixie cup with an officer’s “combination cover.”

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

At 2 hours and 17 minutes, I watch as the dixie cup is finally replaced with the officer’s cover.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

He lifted the lid from the dixie again and sniffed.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

After breakfast was cooked, I carried a dixie of hot tea and the lid full of bacon to our section, and told the Corporal that breakfast was ready.

From Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey

The "dixie", by the way, is an iron box or pot, oblong in shape, capacity about four or five gallons.

From A Yankee in the Trenches by Robert Derby Holmes

Given the obstacles, Dixie Dillon Lane is well aware that “Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream” is an ambitious project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

When the plot went public, it was denounced outside Dixie — Horace Greeley’s New-York Tribune called it the “Manifesto of the Brigands”—and the idea was shelved as America slid toward civil war.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

He started his career with Neilston Juniors and was nicknamed after former Everton and England striker Dixie Dean for his scoring feats, which included 60 in one season.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

“I’d say 25% of drag queens make a full-time living,” said drag queen Dixie Krystals.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025

“So,” Gloria Dump said, “Otis played his guitar right to that dog, and a little bit at a time, Winn- Dixie came creeping out from underneath the bed.”

From "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo

At last, The Chicks’ triumphant return gets a Gorge-sized celebration two years after dropping the “Dixie” in their name and releasing their first studio album in 14 years, the Jack Antonoff-produced “Gaslighter.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2022

In 2020, the school’s trustees commissioned an impact study that found problems with the “Dixie” name.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 27, 2021

Mr. Hall’s second wife, the former Iris “Dixie” Lawrence, died in 2015 after 45 years of marriage.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 21, 2021

Over these chords we hear, in the high register, the sprightly tune “The Girl I Left Behind Me” and, soon after, “Dixie” — as those clusters keep coming.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2021

Mars and Ares were trying to outsing each other with “Dixie” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan