mudsill

mudsill
mudsill (n.) 1680s, "lowest sill of a house," from MUD (Cf. mud) + SILL (Cf. sill). The word entered U.S. political history in a speech by James M. Hammond of South Carolina, March 4, 1858, in U.S. Senate, alluding scornfully to the very mudsills of society, and the term subsequently was embraced by Northern workers in the pre-Civil War sectional rivalry.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Mudsill — Mud sill , n. 1. The lowest sill of a structure, usually embedded in the soil; the lowest timber of a house; also, that sill or timber of a bridge which is laid at the bottom of the water. See {Sill}. [1913 Webster] 2. Fig.: A person of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mudsill — [mud′sil΄] n. the lowest sill of a structure, placed on the foundation or directly on the ground …   English World dictionary

  • mudsill — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun 1. : the lowest sill of a structure (as of a house, bridge, dam) usually embedded in soil or mud 2. : a person of the lowest stratum of society a mudsill like me trying to push in and help Mark Twain all classes and conditions of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • mudsill — noun a) The lowest sill of a structure, usually placed in or on the ground. The Pre Historic Era represented the mudsill of human development. b) A particularly low or dirty place/state; the nadir of something (see rock bottom) …   Wiktionary

  • Mudsill theory — Sociology …   Wikipedia

  • mudsill — noun Date: 1685 1. a supporting sill (as of a building or bridge) resting directly on a base and especially the earth 2. a person of the lowest social level …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mudsill — /mud sil /, n. the lowest sill of a structure, usually placed in or on the ground. Also called footplate. [1675 85; MUD + SILL] * * * …   Universalium

  • mudsill — /ˈmʌdsɪl/ (say mudsil) noun → groundsel2 …  

  • Proslavery — ideology arose in the antebellum United States. It began as a reaction to the growing antislavery movement in the United States in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Contents 1 Need for a defense 2 Political proslavery 3 See also …   Wikipedia

  • Pro-Slavery Thought in the Old South — Pro Slavery Thought (in the Pre Civil War American South) refers to a wide array of political, economic, legal, spiritual, biblical, sociological, and racial justifications for slavery as an institution in the Southern States. The term is… …   Wikipedia

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