Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
a Southern girl who married a Yankee
Many etymologies have been proposed for Yankee, but its origin is still uncertain. What we do know is that in its earliest recorded use Yankee was a pejorative term for American colonials used by the British military. The first evidence we have is in a letter written in 1758 by British General James Wolfe, who had a very low opinion of the New England troops assigned to him. We also have a report of British troops using the term to abuse citizens of Boston. In 1775, however, after the battles of Lexington and Concord had shown the colonials that they could stand up to British regulars, Yankee became suddenly respectable and the colonials adopted the British pejorative in defiance. Ever since then, a derisive and a respectable use of Yankee have existed side by side.
First Known Use: 1758
in the meaning defined at sense 1a
See Words from the same year1952
: a person born or living in the U.S.
: a person born or living in the northern U.S.
: a person from New England
See words that rhyme with Yankee Spanish Central: Translation of Yankee Nglish: Translation of Yankee for Spanish speakers
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