peckerwood

American

[pek-er-wood] / ˈpɛk ərˌwʊd /

noun

Midland and Southern U.S. woodpecker.
Southern U.S. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. poor white.

adjective

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