Dixieland

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A lively early form of jazz that developed in New Orleans and features collective improvisation ; the southern states of the United States, especially in folk or nostalgic usage
2. An energetic jazz style born in New Orleans with group improvisation ; a informal name for the American South, particularly the states of the former Confederacy
3. Traditional New Orleans jazz marked by spirited ensemble playing ; the region of the United States South, often evoked with a sense of old-fashioned charm

Etymology: "Dixie" is the older half of this compound, and its own origin is the more interesting story. The name became a nickname for the American South, and the word "Dixieland" grew out of it by simple addition of "land," the English word for a territory or country, which traces back through Old English "land" to a very old Germanic root. The combination reads like a place name, a country of the Dixie people, which is essentially how it was used. "Dixieland" as a noun names a style of early jazz, and as an adjective it describes music played in that style or, more loosely, anything evoking the old Southern states. The jump from a regional nickname to the name of a musical genre is the striking part, since the same word that once simply pointed to a region came to label a sound.

Synonyms: Dixie