In the archaic sense Hoosier was used in England to refer to any person who resided in the hills or mountains. In the United States Hoosier is used as a nickname for anyone who is a resident or native of Indiana. As per the American Regional English Dictionary, Hoosier meant "a hillbilly or rustic; an unmannerly or objectionable person". The word is believed to have been in use since the 1820s. The word is also at times to mean "white trash" in slang.
Besides its various derogatory meanings it is not considered such when referring to people native to Indiana.
There are various theories of how the word originated. It is believed that it could have been a distortion of "Who's there?" pronounced as "Who'sh 'ere?" in those parts. It is sometimes believed to be a distortion of the Hungarian or Russian word Hussar or the French hussard.
Besides its various derogatory meanings it is not considered such when referring to people native to Indiana.
There are various theories of how the word originated. It is believed that it could have been a distortion of "Who's there?" pronounced as "Who'sh 'ere?" in those parts. It is sometimes believed to be a distortion of the Hungarian or Russian word Hussar or the French hussard.
