Hoosier

Hoosier [hoo-zher] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Indiana (used as a nickname).
2. (usually lowercase) any awkward, unsophisticated person, especially a rustic.

Origin of Hoosier An Americanism dating back to 1920–30; of uncertain originRelated formsHoo·sier·dom, noun Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for hoosier Contemporary Examples of hoosier

Our legislators passed laws regarding consent and record keeping to ensure high standards of quality and care for Hoosier women.

Indiana’s Crazy Administrative Abortion Demands Have Doctors Racking Up the Violations

Emily Shire

September 18, 2014

Indiana The Hoosier State is a bit like Tennessee, a deeply red state that will occasionally back Democrats.

Swing States Sit Out Obamacare: What Four Holdouts Are Doing

David Freedlander

September 27, 2013

Historical Examples of hoosier

Mr. Harney is a native Hoosier, a resident of Crawfordsville, Indiana.

David Lannarck, Midget

George S. Harney

And play up local pride—a Hoosier product for Hoosier people.

Otherwise Phyllis

Meredith Nicholson

I want to get back for the performance of ‘The Hoosier Doctor.’

The Footlights Fore and Aft

Channing Pollock

His walk, voice and mannerisms smacked faintly of the Hoosier.

The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling

Josephine Chase

The effect was tremendous, and the Hoosier’s shouts could be heard for miles.

The American Joe Miller

Various

British Dictionary definitions for hoosier Hoosier noun

1. US a native or inhabitant of Indiana

Word Origin for Hoosier C19: origin unknown Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for hoosier Hoosier

“native or resident of Indiana,” by c.1830, American English, of unknown origin; fanciful explanations were printed in 1830s newspapers. Said to have been first printed Jan. 1, 1833, in the “Indianapolis Journal,” in a poem, “The Hoosiers Nest,” by John Finely, which poem was said to have been written in 1830 [“The Word Hoosier,” “Indiana Historical Society Publications,” vol. IV, No. 2, 1907], and to have been in oral use from late 1820s. Seemingly it originated among Ohio River boatmen; perhaps related to English dialectal (Cumberland) hoozer, used of anything unusually large [Barnhart]. For other theories, see the above quoted source.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper