Jim Crow

Meaning

Noun

1. (historical) A World War II code name for patrols along the British coastline to intercept enemy aircraft, originally intended to warn of invasion in 1940.
2. A double-action planing tool invented by Joseph Whitworth, in which the blade ‘jumps’ to face the other way on the back-stroke.
3. A tool for bending railway rails, by holding the rail with two arms and pushing a screw into the other side.

Name

1. (derogatory, ethnic, obsolete, offensive, slur) A Black man.
2. (historical) The collective policies and customs of an era of racial oppression in the U.S., especially legalized racial persecution and segregationist practices, prevalent from the late 1800s through the 1960s until challenged by the U.S. civil rights movement.
3. A fictional character from various minstrel show performances who is stereotypically depicted as an unintelligent, violent, and promiscuous Black man.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Discriminatory against African Americans.
2. (not-comparable) Segregated between African Americans and Caucasians.

Verb

To work towards legislation that incorporates a discriminatory caste system or racial segregation.

Synonyms

color bar

colour bar

color line

colour line

Jim Crowism

Translations

discriminació racial

Jim Crow

barrera racial

segregado

Jim Crow

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌdʒɪm ˈkɹoʊ/

Etymology

From the minstrel show song Jump Jim Crow, written in 1828 by Thomas D. Rice, the originator of blackface performance.