Online Etymology Dictionary

jazz: by 1912, Amer.Eng., first attested in baseball slang; as a type of music, attested from 1913. Probably ult. from Creole patois jass "strenuous activity," especially "sexual intercourse" but also used of Congo dances, from jasm (1860) "energy, drive," of African origin (cf. Mandingo jasi, Temne yas), also the source of slang jism.
"If the truth were known about the origin of the word 'Jazz' it would never be mentioned in polite society." ["Étude," Sept. 1924]
The verb meaning "to speed or liven up" is from 1917; all that jazz "et cetera" first recorded 1939; Jazzercise is 1977, originally a proprietary name. Jazz Age first attested 1922 in writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald, usually regarded as the years between the end of World War I (1918) and the Stock Market crash of 1929.
gig (2): "job," first used by jazz musicians, attested from 1915 but said to have been in use c.1905; of uncertain origin.
scat (2): "nonsense patter sung to jazz," 1926, probably of imitative origin, from one of the syllables used.
tradition: c.1380, from O.Fr. tradicion (1292), from L. traditionem (nom. traditio) "delivery, surrender, a handing down," from traditus, pp. of tradere "deliver, hand over," from trans- "over" + dare "to give" (see date (1)). The word is a doublet of treason (q.v.). The notion in the modern sense of the word is of things "handed down" from generation to generation. Traditional is recorded from c.1600; in ref. to jazz, from 1950. Slang trad, short for trad(itional jazz) is recorded from 1956; its general use for "traditional" is recorded from 1963.
skiffle: style of U.K. pop music, 1957, from U.S. slang meaning "type of jazz played on improvised instruments" (1926), of unknown origin.
jism: "cum," 1899; earlier "energy, strength" (1842), see jazz.
reet: "good, proper, excellent," 1934, jazz slang, from Amer.Eng. dial. pronunciation of right (adj.).
combo: 1929, U.S. slang, in entertainment (jazz groups, dance teams), short for combination.
razzmatazz: 1894, perhaps a varied reduplication of jazz (q.v.). The word had early associations with that kind of music (later esp. in contrast to swing).
stomp (v.): 1803, variant of stamp. Meaning "lively social dance" is recorded from 1912 in jazz slang.
uptight: Slang sense of "tense" is from 1934; that of "straight-laced" first recorded 1969. It was used in a sense of "excellent" in jazz slang c.1962.
classical music: 1836, defined originally against romantic music; later contrasted to jazz (in this sense more often with ref. to the orchestras than to the music itself). Later in contrast to popular music generally.
Big Apple: "New York," 1909 (but popularized by 1970s tourism promotion campaign), apparently from jazz musicians' use of apple for any city, especially a Northern one.
red-hot: late 14c., "heated till it glows red" (of metal, etc.); of persons, "lively, passionate," it is recorded from c.1600. Red-hot mama is 1926, jazz slang, "earthy female singer," also "girlfriend, lover."
bebop: 1944, from bebop, rebop, bop, nonsense words in jazz lyrics, attested from at least 1928. The style is associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
progressive (adj.): 1607, "characterized by advancement" (in action, character, etc.), from progress (q.v.). Of taxation, from 1889; of jazz, from 1947. Meaning "characterized by striving for change and innovation, avant-garde, liberal" is from 1908; the noun in this sense is first attested 1865.
hep (1): "aware, up-to-date," first recorded 1908 in "Saturday Evening Post," but said to be underworld slang, of unknown origin. Variously said to have been the name of "a fabulous detective who operated in Cincinnati" or a saloonkeeper in Chicago who "never quite understood what was going on ... (but) thought he did." Taken up by jazz musicians by 1915; hepcat "addict of swing music" is from 1938.
riff: "melodic phrase in jazz," 1935 (but said to have been used by musicians since c.1917), of uncertain origin, perhaps a shortened form of riffle (q.v.), or altered from refrain. The verb is attested from 1955.
icky: 1935, Amer.Eng., probably from icky-boo (c.1920) "sickly, nauseated," probably baby talk elaboration of sick. Originally a swing lover's term for more sentimental jazz music.
ride: O.E. ridan "ride" (as on horseback), "move forward, rock" (class I strong verb; past tense rad, pp. riden), from P.Gmc. *ridanan (cf. O.N. riða, O.Fris. rida, M.Du. riden, Ger. reiten), from PIE *reidh- "to ride" (cf. O.Ir. riadaim "I travel," O.Gaul. reda "chariot"). Meaning "heckle" is from 1912; that of "have sex with (a woman)" is from 1250; that of "dominate cruelly" is from 1583. The noun is first recorded 1759; slang meaning "a motor vehicle" is recorded from 1930; sense of "amusement park device" is from 1934. To ride out "endure (a storm, etc.) without great damage" is from 1529. To ride shotgun is 1963, from Old West stagecoach custom in the movies. To ride shank's mare "walk" is from 1846. To take (someone) for a ride "tease, mislead, cheat," is first attested 1925, Amer.Eng., possibly from underworld sense of "take on a car trip with intent to kill" (1927). Phrase go along for the ride "join in passively" is from 1960. A ride cymbal (1956) is used by jazz drummers for keeping up continuous rhythm, as opposed to a crash cymbal (ride as "rhythm" in jazz slang is recorded from 1936).
nitty-gritty: "basic facts," 1961, knitty-gritty, Amer.Eng., said to have been chiefly used by black jazz musicians, perhaps ult. from nit and grits "finely ground corn."
jive: 1928, "to deceive playfully" (v.), also "empty, misleading talk" (n.) and "a style of fast, lively jazz and dance music," Amer.Eng., from Black English, probably of African origin (cf. Wolof jev, jeu "talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner"). Used from 1938 for "New York City African-American slang." The adj. meaning "not acting right" is attested from 1971.
Dixie: 1859, first attested in D.D. Emmett's song of that name, probably a reference to the Mason-Dixon Line, but there are many other well-publicized theories. Popularized nationwide in minstrel shows. Dixieland style of jazz developed in New Orleans c.1910, so called from 1919. Dixiecrat in U.S. politics dates from 1948.
salsa: kind of sauce, 1846; kind of dance, 1975, from Sp., lit. "sauce," from V.L. *salsa "condiment" (see sauce). In Amer.Sp. esp. used of a kind of relish with chopped-up ingredients; the music so called from its blend of Latin jazz and rock styles.
wail (v.): early 14c., from O.N. væla "to lament," from væ "woe" (see woe). Of jazz musicians, "to play very well," attested from 1955, Amer.Eng. slang (wailing "excellent" is attested from 1954). The noun is recorded from c.1400.
righteous: early 16c. alteration of rightwise, from O.E. rihtwis, from riht (see right) + wis "wise, way, manner." Suffix altered by influence of courteous, etc. Meaning "genuine, excellent" is c.1900 in jazz slang.
schmaltz: "banal or excessive sentimentalism," 1935, from Yiddish shmalts, lit. "melted fat," from M.H.G. smalz, from O.H.G., related to smelzan "to melt." Modern Ger. Schmaltz "fat, grease" has the same figurative meaning. First mentioned in Eng. as "a derogatory term used to describe straight jazz" ["Vanity Fair," Nov. 1935].
walking: c.1400, pp. adj. from walk (v.). Walking sickness, one in which the sufferer is able to get about and is not bed-ridden, is from 1846. Walking wounded is recorded from 1917. Walking bass is attested from 1939 in jazz slang. Walking stick is recorded from 1580; the insect so called from 1760.
jam (v.): "to press tightly," also "to become wedged," 1706, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of champ (v.). Sense of "to cause interference in radio signals" is from 1914. Jazz noun meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" dates from 1929, and yielded jam session (1933); perhaps from jam (n.) in sense of "something sweet, something excellent." Noun sense of "machine blockage" is from 1890, which probably led to the colloquial meaning "predicament," first recorded 1914.
cool: O.E. col, from P.Gmc. *koluz, from PIE base *gel- "cold, to freeze." The v. form kele (from O.E. colian) was used by Shakespeare, but has been assimilated with the adj. into the modern word. Applied since 1728 to large sums of money to give emphasis to amount. Meaning "calmly audacious" is from 1825. Slang use for "fashionable" is 1933, originally Black English, said to have been popularized in jazz circles by tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Related: Cooling (mid-14c.); coolly (1570s).
heavy: O.E. hefig, from P.Gmc. *khabigas (cf. O.N. hebig, O.N. hofugr), from *kafjanan and thus related to heave (q.v.). Theatrical (noun) sense of "villain" is 1880, from the adj. Jazz slang sense of "profound, serious" is from 1937. Heavy-handed was originally (1633) "weary" or "clumsy," sense of "overbearing" is first recorded 1883. Heavyweight is 1857, of horses, 1877 of fighters.
too (adv.): "in addition, in excess," late O.E., stressed variant of O.E. prep. to "in the direction of, furthermore" (see to). The spelling with -oo is first recorded 1590. Use after a verb, for emphasis (e.g. did, too!) is attested from 1914. Ger. zu unites the senses of Eng. to and too. Slang too-too "excessive in social elegance" first recorded 1881. Too much "excellent" first recorded 1937 in jazz slang.
crazy: 1570s, "diseased, sickly, from craze; meaning "full of cracks or flaws" is from 1580s; that of "of unsound mind, or behaving as so" is from 1610s. Jazz slang sense "cool, exciting" attested by 1927. To drive (someone) crazy is attested by 1873. Phrase crazy like a fox recorded from 1935. Crazy Horse, Teton Lakhota (Siouan) war leader (d.1877) translates thašuka witko, lit. "his horse is crazy."
way: O.E. weg "road, path, course of travel," from P.Gmc. *wegaz (cf. O.S., Du. weg, O.N. vegr, O.Fris. wei, O.H.G. weg, Ger. Weg, Goth. wigs "way"), from PIE *wegh- "to move" (see weigh). Most of the extended senses developed in M.E. Adj. meaning "very, extremely" is early 1980s, perhaps from phrase all the way. Wayfaring is O.E. wegfarende; Ways and means "resources at a person's disposal" is attested from c.1430. Way-out (adj.) "original, bold," is jazz slang, first recorded 1940s.
wah-wah: 1926, in jazz slang, in ref. to the effect on brass instruments made by manipulating the mute; of imitative origin. Later also in ref. to an electric guitar effect. As an imitation of the sound of a baby crying, it is recorded from 1938. Wah-wah pedal is recorded from 1969. Cf. Chinook jargon wawa "talk, speak, call, ask, sermon, language;" Cree (Algonquian) wehwew "goose," Lenape (Algonquian) wava "snow goose," all probably of imitative origin.
square (adj.): c.1300, "containing four equal sides and right angles," from square (n.). Meaning "honest, fair," is first attested 1564; that of "straight, direct" is from 1804. Sense of "old-fashioned" is 1944, U.S. jazz slang, said to be from shape of a conductor's hand gestures in a regular four-beat rhythm. (Square-toes meant nearly the same thing in 1771, from a style of shoes then fallen from fashion.) Squaresville is attested from 1956. Square one "the beginning" is first recorded 1960, probably from board games; square dance first attested 1870.
lick (n.): "an act of licking," 1603, from lick (v.). Meaning "small portion" is 1814, originally Scottish; hence U.S. colloquial sense. Sense of "place where an animal goes to lick salt" is from 1747. Lickety-split is 1859 in Amer.Eng. (earlier lickety-cut, lickety-click, and simply licketie, 1817) from dial. meaning of lick "very fast sprint in a race" (1809). The jazz music sense of "short figure or solo" is from 1920s.
soul (2): "instinctive quality felt by black persons as an attribute," 1946, jazz slang, from soul (1). Soulful "full of feeling" is attested from 1863. Hence Soul music, essentially gospel music with "girl" in place of "Jesus," etc., first attested 1961; William James used the term in 1900, in a spiritual/romantic sense, but in ref. to inner music. Also from this sense are soul brother (1957), soul food (1957), etc.
bag: early 13c., bagge, from O.N. baggi or a similar Scandinavian source, perhaps ultimately of Celtic origin. Disparaging slang for "woman" dates from 1924 (though various specialized senses of this are much older). Meaning "person's area of interest or expertise" is 1964, from Black Eng. slang, from jazz sense of "category," probably via notion of putting something in a bag. To be left holding the bag (and presumably nothing else), "cheated, swindled" is attested by 1793. Many fig. senses are from the notion of the game bag (late 15c.) into which the product of the hunt was placed; e.g. the verb meaning "to kill game" (1814) and its colloquial extension to "catch, seize, steal" (1818).
far: O.E. feorr "to a great distance, long ago," from P.Gmc. *ferro (cf. O.N. fjarre, Du. ver, Ger. fern), from PIE *per- "through, across, beyond" (cf. Skt. parah "farther, remote, ulterior," Hitt. para "outside of," Gk. pera "across, beyond," L. per "through," O.Ir. ire "farther"). In figurative sense, far-fetched is from 1607; far-sighted is 1641 in figurative sense, 1878 in literal sense (hypermetropic). Far-out began 1954 as jazz slang. Far East "China, Japan, and surrounding regions" is from 1852.
ball (1): "round object," O.E., from O.N. bollr "ball," from P.Gmc. *balluz (cf. O.H.G. ballo, Ger. Ball), from PIE base *bhel- "to swell" (see bole). The verb meaning "copulate" is first recorded 1940s in jazz slang. To be on the ball is 1912, from sports. Ball-point pen first recorded 1947. Ball of fire when first recorded in 1821 referred to "a glass of brandy;" as "spectacularly successful striver" it is c.1900. Ball and chain as a prisoner's restraint is recorded from 1835; as "one's wife," early 1920s.
modern: "of or pertaining to present or recent times," 1500, from M.Fr. moderne, from L.L. modernus "modern," from L. modo "just now, in a (certain) manner," from modo "to the measure," abl. of modus "manner, measure" (see mode (1)). In Shakespeare, often with a sense of "every-day, ordinary, commonplace." Slang abbreviation mod first attested 1960. Modern art is from 1849; modern dance first attested 1912; first record of modern jazz is from 1955. Modern conveniences first recorded 1926. Modernize is from 1748 (implied in modernized).
solid (adj.): 1391, from O.Fr. solide "firm, dense, compact," from L. solidus "firm, whole, entire" (related to salvus "safe"), from PIE base *sol- "whole" (cf. Gk. holos "whole," L. salus "health;" see safe (adj.)). Slang sense of "wonderful, remarkable" first attested 1920 among jazz musicians. The noun is recorded from 1495. Solid South in U.S. political history is attested from 1858. Solidify is from 1799 (trans.), 1837 (intrans.). Solid state as a term in physics is recorded from 1953; meaning "employing transistors (as opposed to vacuum tubes)" is from 1959.
funk (2): "bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funkière "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."
groove: c.1400, from O.N. grod "pit," or M.Du. groeve "furrow, ditch," from P.Gmc. *grobo (cf. O.N. grof "brook, river bed," O.H.G. gruoba "ditch," Goth. groba "pit, cave," O.E. græf "ditch"), related to grave (n.). Sense of "long, narrow channel or furrow" is 1659. Meaning "spiral cut in a phonograph record" is from 1902. Fig. sense of "routine" is from 1842, often depreciatory at first, "a rut." Adj. groovy is 1853 in lit. sense of "of a groove;" 1937 in slang sense of "excellent," from jazz slang phrase in the groove (1932) "performing well (without grandstanding)." As teen slang for "wonderful," it dates from 1944; popularized 1960s, out of currency by 1980.
send: O.E. sendan "send, send forth, throw," from P.Gmc. *sandijanan (cf. O.S. sendian, O.N., O.Fris. senda, M.L.G., M.Du. senden, Goth. sandjan), causative form of base *sinþan, denoting "go, journey" (source of O.E. sið "way, journey," O.N. sinn, Goth. sinþs "going, walk, time"), from PIE base *sent- "to head for, go" (cf. Lith. siusti "send;" see sense). Also used in O.E. of divine ordinance (cf. godsend, from O.E. sand "messenger, message," from P.Gmc. *sandaz "that which is sent"). Slang sense of "to transport with emotion, delight" is recorded from 1932, in Amer.Eng. jazz slang. Send-off "farewell" (especially a funeral) is from 1872.
lead (v.): "to guide," O.E. lædan "cause to go with one, lead," causative of liðan "to travel," from W.Gmc. *laithjan (cf. O.S. lithan, O.N. liða "to go," O.H.G. ga-lidan "to travel," Goth. ga-leiþan "to go"). Meaning "to be in first place" is from c.1380. The noun is first recorded c.1300, "action of leading." Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1570. Johnson stigmatized it as "a low, despicable word." Sense in card-playing is from 1742; in theater, from 1831; in journalism, from 1927; in jazz bands, from 1934. Leader "one who leads" is from c.1300; as shortened form of leading article (1807) "prominent newspaper piece giving editorial opinion" it dates from 1837. Leadership first attested 1821.
jump (v.): 1530, perhaps onomatopoeic (cf. bump); another theory derives it from words in Gallo-Romance dialects of southwestern France (cf. jumba "to rock, to balance, swing," yumpa "to rock"), picked up during English occupation in Hundred Years War. Superseded native leap, bound, and spring in most senses. Meaning "to attack" is from 1789; that of "to do the sex act with" is from 1638. The noun is attested from 1552. Meaning "jazz music with a strong beat" first recorded 1937, in Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump." To jump to a conclusion is from 1704. Jumpy "nervous" is from 1879. Jump suit "one-piece coverall modeled on those worn by paratroopers and skydivers" is from 1948. Jumping-rope is from 1805. Jump in a lake "go away and stop being a pest" attested from 1912.
ax: O.E. æces (Northumbrian acas), later æx, from P.Gmc. *akusjo (cf. O.S. accus, O.N. ex, O.Fris. axe, Ger. Axt, Goth. aqizi), from PIE *agw(e)si- (cf. Gk. axine, L. ascia). Meaning "musical instrument" is 1955, originally jazz slang for the saxophone; rock slang for "guitar" dates to 1967. The ax in fig. sense of cutting of anything (expenses, workers, etc.), especially as a cost-saving measure, is from 1922, probably from the notion of the headman's literal axe (itself attested from c.1450). To have an axe to grind is from an 1815 essay by U.S. newspaper editor Charles Miner (1780–1865) in which a man flatters a boy and gets him to do the chore of axe-grinding for him, then leaves without offering thanks or recompense. Misattributed to Benjamin Franklin in Weekley, OED print edition, and many other sources.
"The spelling ax is better on every ground, of etymology, phonology, and analogy, than axe, which became prevalent during the 19th century; but it is now disused in Britain." [OED]
stride: O.E. stridan "to straddle," from P.Gmc. *stridanan (cf. M.L.G. strede "stride," Du. strijd, O.H.G. strit, Ger. Streit "fight, contention, combat," O.N. striðr "strong, hard, stubborn, severe"), from base *strid- "to strive, make a strong effort." Meaning "to walk with long or extended steps" is from c.1200. Cognate words in most Gmc. languages mean "to fight, struggle;" the notion behind the Eng. usage might be the effort involved in making long strides, striving forward. The noun was in O.E.; fig. meaning of make strides "make progress" is from 1600. To take (something) in stride (1832), i.e. "without change of gait" is originally of horses leaping hedges in the hunting-field; fig. sense attested from 1902. Jazz music stride tempo is attested from 1938.