Etymology

jazz

J8A1Z10Z10

Today it means: A musical art form rooted in West African cultural and musical expression and in the African American blues tradition, with diverse influences over time, commonly characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms and improvisation. Full definition →

First used 20th c.
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

jazz · noun, verb1

Unknown. First attested around 1912 in a discussion of baseball; attested in reference to music around 1915. Numerous references suggest that the term may be connected to jasm and jism.

Jazz · proper noun2

A fanciful spelling variant of Jaz and Jas.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. To move (around/about) in a lively or frivolous manner; to fool around.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.