Dictionary.com
definitions

Jim-Crow

or jim-crow

[ jim-kroh ]
/ ˈdʒɪmˈkroʊ /
|

adjective

favoring or supporting Jim Crow.
for black people only: a Jim-Crow school.

RELATED CONTENT

Jim Crow lawsRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Wagon WheelRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Jim Crow

or jim crow

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.

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jim-crow

  • His jim-crow freight outfit didn't cut much of a figure in their track schedules.

    Held for Orders|Frank H. Spearman

  • Accustomed to the jim-crow coach, the Pullman with its comfortable bed, its luxurious dining-car, was a revelation.

    The Shadow|Mary White Ovington

  • This is the meaning of the Southern movement for segregating the races, of its jim-crow car laws and waiting-rooms.

    The Ultimate Criminal|Archibald H. Grimke
British Dictionary definitions for jim-crow

jim crow

/ (ˈdʒɪm ˈkrəʊ) /

noun (often capitals) US

  1. the policy or practice of segregating Black people
  2. (as modifier)jim-crow laws
  1. a derogatory term for a Black person
  2. (as modifier)a jim-crow saloon
an implement for bending iron bars or rails
a crowbar fitted with a claw
Derived Formsjim-crowism, noun

Word 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
Word Origin and History for jim-crow

Jim Crow

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.