People who live in rural, mountainous areas, especially from the Appalachian region; sometimes used as a stereotyped or derogatory term.
Compound of 'hill' plus 'billy' (a variant of the name 'William,' used generically for country people), appearing in American English around the 1900s.
The term 'hillbilly' reveals American class bias—urban writers invented it as a joke, but it actually represents resilient cultures with deep musical traditions (bluegrass, country) that shaped global music.
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