MUDSILL

Etymology

"1685, 'lowest sill of a house,' from mud + 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 to the very mudsills of society, and the term subsequently was embraced by Northern workers in the pre-Civil War sectional rivalry." (OED, 2007)

Noun

mudsill (plural mudsills)

The lowest sill of a structure, usually placed in or on the ground.

(figuratively) A particularly low or dirty place/state; the nadir of something (see rock bottom)

(dated, southern US) A person of low status or humble provenance.

Anagrams

• mullids

Source: Wiktionary

Mud"sill`, n.

Definition: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition