Jayhawker

[ jey-haw-ker ]

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Kansas (used as a nickname).

  2. (sometimes lowercase) a plundering marauder, especially one of the antislavery guerrillas in Kansas, Missouri, and other border states before and during the Civil War.

Origin of Jayhawker

1
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; of uncertain origin

Words Nearby Jayhawker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Jayhawker in a sentence

  • We hurried on as rapidly as possible so as to get into the Jayhawker's beaten trail which would be a little easier to follow.

    Death Valley in '49 | William Lewis Manly
  • The Jayhawker's train was made up of men from many states, but seemed well united and was as complete as when they first started.

    Death Valley in '49 | William Lewis Manly
  • The Jayhawker crowd seemed to think they could go anywhere and no difficulty could happen which they couldn't overcome.

    Death Valley in '49 | William Lewis Manly
  • Semi hastily retreated behind Mr. Colon, thinking it might be a Jayhawker, while the professor adjusted his glasses.

    Buffalo Land | W. E. Webb
  • The way he talks of it, the term might have been a colloquial term applied to a Jayhawker or a patroller.

    Slave Narratives: Arkansas Narratives | Work Projects Administration