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peckerwood

American  
[pek-er-wood] / ˈpɛk ərˌwʊd /

noun

  1. Midland and Southern U.S. woodpecker.

  2. Southern U.S. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. poor white.

adjective

  1. Southern U.S. small or insignificant.

    He makes a living farming and running a peckerwood sawmill.

Etymology

Origin of peckerwood

1825–35, pecker + wood 1; inversion of woodpecker

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.

Miss, I would starve till I was as stiff as a peckerwood peckin' at a hole 'fore I'd sign anything on my deed.

From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Arkansas Narratives, Part 4 by Work Projects Administration

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.