Jim Crow
or jim crow
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noun
a practice or policy of segregating or discriminating against Black people, as in public places, public vehicles, or employment.
Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.
adjective Sometimes Jim-Crow .
favoring or supporting a segregationist or discriminatory policy of Jim Crow.
for Black people only: a Jim Crow school.
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Origin of Jim Crow
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; so called from the name of a song sung by Thomas Rice (1808–60) in a minstrel show
Words nearby Jim Crow
jillion, Jilolo, Jilong, jilt, Jim, Jim Crow, Jim Crowism, Jim Crow law, jim-dandy, jim dash, Jiménez
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Jim Crow
British Dictionary definitions for Jim Crow
jim crow
/ (ˈdʒɪm ˈkrəʊ) /
noun (often capitals) US
- the policy or practice of segregating Black people
- (as modifier)jim-crow laws
- a derogatory term for a Black person
- (as modifier)a jim-crow saloon
an implement for bending iron bars or rails
a crowbar fitted with a claw
Derived forms of jim crow
jim-crowism, nounWord Origin for jim crow
C19: from Jim Crow, name of song used as the basis of an act by Thomas Rice (1808–60), American entertainer
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
Cultural definitions for Jim Crow
Jim Crow
A descriptive term for the segregation of institutions, businesses, hotels, restaurants, and the like. It also refers to the laws that required racial segregation.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.