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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.


Dixie 2 American  
[dik-see] / ˈdɪk si /

noun

  1. Also called Dixie Land, 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.

idioms

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

dixie 1 British  
/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

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

  2. a mess tin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dixie 2 British  
/ ˈdɪksɪ /

noun

  1. dialect a lookout

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
“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.


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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

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

He lifted the lid from the dixie again and sniffed.

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

Fire burn and dixie bubble, Double toil or there'll he trouble.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, November 7, 1917 by Various

After dinner I tried to wash out the dixie with cold water and a rag, and learned another maxim of the trenches—"It can't be done."

From Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey

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

But he will have to continue scoring at this rate to beat Dixie Dean's record 63 goals in all competitions from almost a century ago, which stands as a record for an English top-flight player.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025

Lynsey Paulo, a PG&E spokeswoman, said in an email that the company paid nearly $50 million to victims of the Dixie fire through its program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025

All the Winn Dixie employees turned around and looked at me, and I knew I had done something big.

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 the mid-19th century, these settlers first called the region “Dixie” because their mission was to grow cotton for their church, according to many of their descendants and local historians.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2022

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

From Washington Times ● Oct. 27, 2021

The Chicks are opening up about their decision to drop “Dixie” from their band’s name and revealed what they nearly changed their name to.

From Fox News ● Jul. 17, 2020

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

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