Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brass ankle

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.71 in modern English

Syllables: brass an-kle
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person whose racial heritage is regarded as primarily white, but with a small degree of known or suspected non-white ancestry. A manifestation of the American “one-drop rule” of racial categorization.

Example Sentences

"Moreover, the Maroons also practiced the diversions of polygamy. Their women, being a mixture of negro and native Indian, possessed a defiant beauty, not unlike that of an equivalent racial mixture, the “Brass Ankle” girls at Charleston. The men were tall and handsome and well made, and had a wild eye."

Inflected Forms

brass ankles (plural)

Phrases

mixed-race touch of the tar brush

Frequently Paired Words

Melungeon Mestee Métis mixed-race multiheritage touch of the tar brush

Questions

What does brass ankle mean?: A person whose racial heritage is regarded as primarily white, but with a small degree of known or suspected non-white ancestry. A manifestation of the American “one-drop rule” of racial categorization.

How to pronounce brass ankle

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