Jayhawker
Americannoun
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a native or inhabitant of Kansas (used as a nickname).
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(sometimes lowercase) a plundering marauder, especially one of the antislavery guerrillas in Kansas, Missouri, and other border states before and during the Civil War.
Etymology
Origin of Jayhawker
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; of uncertain origin
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.
“Grass there is scarce, wood there is none,” wrote Jayhawker Sheldon Young of the landscape.
From National Geographic • Jul. 25, 2023
Prior to finding himself advancing toward Germany near the end of World War II, Mr. Dole had been a lifelong Jayhawker, recruited to Kansas University by the legendary basketball coach Phog Allen.
From Washington Times • Dec. 5, 2021
The Jayhawker crowd seemed to think they could go anywhere and no difficulty could happen which they couldn't overcome.
From Death Valley in '49 by Manly, William Lewis
They drove the straggling oxen back to camp with a sense of great satisfaction, and in turn received the praise of their friends who said that Ed Doty was the best Jayhawker of the border.
From Death Valley in '49 by Manly, William Lewis
In the good Jayhawker state the orchard orioles are more abundant than they are in the eastern and northeastern part of the state of Ohio.
From Our Bird Comrades by Keyser, Leander S. (Leander Sylvester)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
