Nearby Entries

hoosier

- 4 dictionary results

Hoo⋅sier

[hoo-zher]

Use hoosier in a Sentence

–noun

1.	a native or inhabitant of Indiana (used as a nickname).

2.	(usually lowercase) any awkward, unsophisticated person, esp. a rustic.

Origin:
1920–30, Americanism; of uncert. orig.

Related forms:

Hoo⋅sier⋅dom, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To hoosier

Hoo·sier (hōō'zhər)

n. Used as a nickname for a native or resident of Indiana.

[Origin unknown.]

Word History: We know where Hoosiers come from: Indiana. But where does the name Hoosier come from? That is less easy to answer. The origins of Hoosier are rather obscure, but the most likely possibility is that the term is an alteration of hoozer, an English dialect word recorded in Cumberland, a former county of northwest England, in the late 19th century and used to refer to anything unusually large. The transition between hoozer and Hoosier is not clear. The first recorded instance of Hoosier meaning "Indiana resident" is dated 1826; however, it seems possible that senses of the word recorded later in the Dictionary of Americanisms, including "a big, burly, uncouth specimen or individual; a frontiersman, countryman, rustic," reflect the kind of use this word had before it settled down in Indiana. As a nickname, Hoosier was but one of a variety of disparaging terms arising in the early 19th century for the inhabitants of particular states. For example, Texans were called Beetheads, Alabamans were Lizards, Nebraskans were Bug-eaters, South Carolinians were Weasels, and Pennsylvanians were Leatherheads. People in Missouri might have had it worst of all—they were called Pukes. Originally, these names were probably taken up by people living in neighboring states, but belittled residents adopted them in a spirit of defiant pride, much as American colonists turned the derisive term Yankee into a moniker for their spirit of rebellion. Today, most of these frontier nicknames have disappeared from the landscape. A few like Okie still exist with much of their original animus. Others survive as nicknames for the sports teams of state universities—the North Carolina Tarheels, the Ohio Buckeyes, and so on—fighting words only on the playing field or court.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Hoosier

Hoo"sier\, n. A nickname given to an inhabitant of the State of Indiana. [U.S.]

Hoosier

"native or resident of Indiana," 1826, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin, perhaps related to Eng. dial. (Cumberland) hoozer, used of anything unusually large.

Search another word or see hoosier on Thesaurus | Reference

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us