Ku Klux Klan

n. a secret society of White people in the southern States of the US, orig. formed after the Civil War and dedicated to persecuting and terrorizing Blacks.
Derivatives:
Ku Klux Klansman n. (pl. -men).
Etymology: perh. f. Gk kuklos circle + CLAN

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/ˈkuːˈklʌksˈklæn/ noun

the Ku Klux Klan

: a secret organization in the U.S. that is made up of white people who are opposed to people of other races

a member of the Ku Klux Klan

— abbr. KKK

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Ku Klux Klan [ˌkuː klʌks ˈklæn] [ˌkuː klʌks ˈklæn] noun singular + singular or plural verb (abbr. KKK)

a secret organization of white men in the southern states of the US who use violence to oppose social change and equal rights for black people

 

Word Origin:

[Ku Klux Klan] perhaps from Greek kuklos ‘circle’ and ↑clan.  

Culture:

The members wear long white robes and tall pointed hats to hide their identity. Their leader is called the Grand Wizard. They sometimes burn the Christian symbol of the cross in front of the houses of African Americans or people who support them. The organization was first formed in ↑Tennessee in 1866 after the Civil War and was responsible for lynchings (= hanging people without a trial) and violent attacks on African Americans. It was made illegal in 1871. It began again in 1915, attacking not only African Americans but also Jews, Roman Catholics and people from foreign countries. It had nearly 5 million members in the 1920s, including many outside the South. The Klan became strong again in the 1960s when it opposed the ↑civil rights movement, often with violence, but today it has less influence.