southernness
Below Mason-Dixon quality
Southernness is the quality of being southern—having characteristics associated with the south of a region, especially the American South.
The word often evokes cultural markers: accent, hospitality, pace of life, cuisine, or attitudes.
There was a certain southernness to her drawl that put guests at ease.
Like other regional abstractions, it can be used admiringly or dismissively depending on context.
Generous treatment of guests
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- charmAttractive personal quality
- gentilityRefined social standing
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
graciousness · tradition · heritage · storytelling · front porch · sweet tea · Sunday dinner · debutante
Slow-cook over coals
- gritsBoiled ground maize
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
- fried chickenBattered poultry cooked in oil
- biscuitsSmall, leavened quick breads
collard greens · okra · catfish · pecan pie · bourbon · jambalaya · gumbo · hush puppies
Nickname for Confederate states
- Mason-DixonHistoric North-South boundary
- Gulf CoastSouthern U.S. maritime region
- AppalachiaEastern U.S. mountain region
- bayouMarshy, slow-moving waterway
piedmont · delta · tidewater · subtropical · humid · kudzu · cypress · Spanish moss
Secessionist Southern government
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- segregationForced separation by group
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
sharecropping · civil rights · secession · Lost Cause · slavery · antebellum · carpetbagger · freedmen
Mournful American music genre
- countrySovereign state or territory
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- gospelSacred choral tradition
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
zydeco · spirituals · banjo · fiddle · Nashville · Memphis · Appalachian · folk
hospitality
Generous treatment of guests
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- charmAttractive personal quality
- gentilityRefined social standing
manners · graciousness · tradition · heritage · storytelling · front porch · sweet tea · Sunday dinner · debutante · magnolia
barbecue
Slow-cook over coals
- gritsBoiled ground maize
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
- fried chickenBattered poultry cooked in oil
biscuits · collard greens · okra · catfish · pecan pie · bourbon · jambalaya · gumbo · hush puppies · sweet potato
Dixie
Nickname for Confederate states
- Mason-DixonHistoric North-South boundary
- Gulf CoastSouthern U.S. maritime region
- AppalachiaEastern U.S. mountain region
bayou · piedmont · delta · tidewater · subtropical · humid · kudzu · cypress · Spanish moss · cotton
Confederacy
Secessionist Southern government
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- segregationForced separation by group
Jim Crow · sharecropping · civil rights · secession · Lost Cause · slavery · antebellum · carpetbagger · freedmen · plantation system
blues
Mournful American music genre
- countrySovereign state or territory
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- gospelSacred choral tradition
honky-tonk · zydeco · spirituals · banjo · fiddle · Nashville · Memphis · Appalachian · folk · juke joint
south, southern, southward, southerly, southbound, southerner, southwards, southland