peculiar institution
noun
black slavery in the southern U.S. before the Civil War.
Nearby words
pectus carinatum, pectus excavatum, pectus recurvatum, peculate, peculiar, peculiar institution, peculiar people, peculiarity, peculiarize, peculium, pecuniary
Origin of peculiar institution
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019