/dik"see/ , n.
1. Also called Dixieland, Dixie Land . the southern states of the United States, esp. those that were formerly part of the Confederacy.
2. ( italics ) any of several songs with this name, esp. the minstrel song (1859) by D. D. Emmett, popular as a Confederate war song.
3. a female given name.
4. whistle Dixie , to indulge in unrealistically optimistic fantasies.
adj
5. of, from, or characteristic of the southern states of the United States.
[ 1855-60, Amer.; often said to be (MASON-)DIX(ON LINE) + -IE ]