This is an old southern term used by my grandmother. It is a disrespectful term for a white person similar to "cracker" or "honky." I believe it comes from the fact that woodpeckers have reddish hair up top like white people.
by Ken May 4, 2004
The correct word is peck of wood. It was used by slaves to describe the worth of a white man that was the overseer. The slaves pronounced it as peckawood and the word evolved to peckerwood with wealthy whites wanting to seperate themselves from the lessor whites than themselves. I'm 62 years old and i was told this by my grandfather when i was a young man.
by HACHA HATAK October 16, 2018
by sterlin silva January 28, 2019
by TGL February 14, 2010