"Tar Heel" meaning in All languages combined

See Tar Heel on Wiktionary

Proper name [English]

Etymology: North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called "Tarboilers" since at least the 1840s; "Tar Heel" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them "stick", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated. Head templates: {{en-proper noun}} Tar Heel
  1. A small town in Bladen County, North Carolina. Categories (topical): People Categories (place): Places in North Carolina, USA, Places in the United States, Towns in North Carolina, USA, Towns in the United States Synonyms: Tar heel, Tarheel, tarheel
    Sense id: en-Tar_Heel-en-name-m4zZYvRJ Disambiguation of People: 35 33 19 13 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English informal demonyms, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Demonyms for Americans Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 62 14 12 12 Disambiguation of English informal demonyms: 49 14 21 17 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 65 19 6 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 68 19 5 9 Disambiguation of Demonyms for Americans: 56 21 13 10
  2. An unincorporated community in Hickman County, Kentucky. Categories (topical): People Categories (place): Places in Kentucky, USA, Places in the United States, Unincorporated communities in Kentucky, USA, Unincorporated communities in the United States
    Sense id: en-Tar_Heel-en-name-5G9fIr35 Disambiguation of People: 35 33 19 13

Noun [English]

Forms: Tar Heels [plural]
Etymology: North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called "Tarboilers" since at least the 1840s; "Tar Heel" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them "stick", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated. Head templates: {{en-noun|head=Tar Heel}} Tar Heel (plural Tar Heels)
  1. (US slang) Synonym of North Carolinian. Tags: US, slang Categories (topical): People Synonyms: North Carolinian [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-Tar_Heel-en-noun-47avYbGl Disambiguation of People: 35 33 19 13 Categories (other): American English
  2. (US slang) A person associated with or supportive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tags: US, slang Categories (topical): People Derived forms: Tar Heel State
    Sense id: en-Tar_Heel-en-noun-LN~Fd17S Disambiguation of People: 35 33 19 13 Categories (other): American English

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called \"Tarboilers\" since at least the 1840s; \"Tar Heel\" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them \"stick\", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Tar Heels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Tar Heel"
      },
      "expansion": "Tar Heel (plural Tar Heels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 33 19 13",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm a Tar Heel born\nI'm a Tar Heel bred\nAnd when I die\nI'm a Tar Heel dead.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of North Carolinian."
      ],
      "id": "en-Tar_Heel-en-noun-47avYbGl",
      "links": [
        [
          "North Carolinian",
          "North Carolinian#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US slang) Synonym of North Carolinian."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "North Carolinian"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 33 19 13",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "40 60",
          "word": "Tar Heel State"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Michael Jordan is one of many Tar Heel basketball standouts.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person associated with or supportive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
      ],
      "id": "en-Tar_Heel-en-noun-LN~Fd17S",
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "associated",
          "associated"
        ],
        [
          "supportive",
          "supportive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US slang) A person associated with or supportive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Tar Heel (disambiguation)"
  ],
  "word": "Tar Heel"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called \"Tarboilers\" since at least the 1840s; \"Tar Heel\" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them \"stick\", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Tar Heel",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Places in North Carolina, USA",
          "orig": "en:Places in North Carolina, USA",
          "parents": [
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Places in the United States",
          "orig": "en:Places in the United States",
          "parents": [
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Towns in North Carolina, USA",
          "orig": "en:Towns in North Carolina, USA",
          "parents": [
            "Towns",
            "Places",
            "Polities",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Towns in the United States",
          "orig": "en:Towns in the United States",
          "parents": [
            "Towns",
            "Places",
            "Polities",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "62 14 12 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 14 21 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English informal demonyms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 19 6 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 19 5 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 21 13 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Demonyms for Americans",
          "orig": "en:Demonyms for Americans",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 33 19 13",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small town in Bladen County, North Carolina."
      ],
      "id": "en-Tar_Heel-en-name-m4zZYvRJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "Bladen County",
          "Bladen County#English"
        ],
        [
          "North Carolina",
          "North Carolina#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "9 14 55 22",
          "word": "Tar heel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 14 55 22",
          "word": "Tarheel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 14 55 22",
          "word": "tarheel"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Places in Kentucky, USA",
          "orig": "en:Places in Kentucky, USA",
          "parents": [
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Places in the United States",
          "orig": "en:Places in the United States",
          "parents": [
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Unincorporated communities in Kentucky, USA",
          "orig": "en:Unincorporated communities in Kentucky, USA",
          "parents": [
            "Unincorporated communities",
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Unincorporated communities in the United States",
          "orig": "en:Unincorporated communities in the United States",
          "parents": [
            "Unincorporated communities",
            "Places",
            "Names",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 33 19 13",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An unincorporated community in Hickman County, Kentucky."
      ],
      "id": "en-Tar_Heel-en-name-5G9fIr35",
      "links": [
        [
          "unincorporated",
          "unincorporated"
        ],
        [
          "community",
          "community"
        ],
        [
          "Hickman County",
          "Hickman County#English"
        ],
        [
          "Kentucky",
          "Kentucky#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Tar Heel (disambiguation)"
  ],
  "word": "Tar Heel"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English informal demonyms",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English proper nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Demonyms for Americans",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "Tar Heel State"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called \"Tarboilers\" since at least the 1840s; \"Tar Heel\" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them \"stick\", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Tar Heels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Tar Heel"
      },
      "expansion": "Tar Heel (plural Tar Heels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm a Tar Heel born\nI'm a Tar Heel bred\nAnd when I die\nI'm a Tar Heel dead.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of North Carolinian."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "North Carolinian",
          "North Carolinian#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US slang) Synonym of North Carolinian."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "North Carolinian"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Michael Jordan is one of many Tar Heel basketball standouts.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person associated with or supportive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "associated",
          "associated"
        ],
        [
          "supportive",
          "supportive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US slang) A person associated with or supportive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Tar heel"
    },
    {
      "word": "Tarheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "tarheel"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Tar Heel (disambiguation)"
  ],
  "word": "Tar Heel"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English informal demonyms",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English proper nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Demonyms for Americans",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "North Carolina was associated with tar (of which it was a major producer) from the 1700s onwards, and residents were (at first derisively) called \"Tarboilers\" since at least the 1840s; \"Tar Heel\" is first attested in 1863 in comments by Confederate soldiers which suggest it was already in common use at that time. One popular theory suggests it refers to North Carolinians having tar on their heels to make them \"stick\", referring either to their reluctance to join the Confederacy, or to their holding ground during battles when other states' troops retreated.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Tar Heel",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Places in North Carolina, USA",
        "en:Places in the United States",
        "en:Towns in North Carolina, USA",
        "en:Towns in the United States"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small town in Bladen County, North Carolina."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Bladen County",
          "Bladen County#English"
        ],
        [
          "North Carolina",
          "North Carolina#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Places in Kentucky, USA",
        "en:Places in the United States",
        "en:Unincorporated communities in Kentucky, USA",
        "en:Unincorporated communities in the United States"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An unincorporated community in Hickman County, Kentucky."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unincorporated",
          "unincorporated"
        ],
        [
          "community",
          "community"
        ],
        [
          "Hickman County",
          "Hickman County#English"
        ],
        [
          "Kentucky",
          "Kentucky#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Tar heel"
    },
    {
      "word": "Tarheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "tarheel"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Tar Heel (disambiguation)"
  ],
  "word": "Tar Heel"
}

Download raw JSONL data for Tar Heel meaning in All languages combined (4.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.