jazz

English Online Dictionary. What means jazz‎? What does jazz mean?

English

Alternative forms

• jaz, jas, jass, jasz (all dated, used from about 1912 to about 1918)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• enPR: jăz, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒæz/
• Rhymes: -æz

Noun

jazz (usually uncountable, plural jazzes)

1. (music) 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.
2. (figurative) Energy, excitement, excitability.
4. The substance or makeup of a thing; unspecified thing(s).

   Synonyms: stuff; see also Thesaurus:junk, Thesaurus:thingy

   and all that jazz
5. (with positive terms) Something of excellent quality, the genuine article.

6. Nonsense.

   Synonyms: rubbish, wass; see also Thesaurus:nonsense

7. (slang) Semen, jizz.
8. A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

jazz (third-person singular simple present jazzes, present participle jazzing, simple past and past participle jazzed)

1. (slang) To destroy; to ruin.

2. To play (jazz music).
3. To dance to the tunes of jazz music.
4. To enliven, brighten up, make more colourful or exciting. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
5. (slang) To complicate. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

6. (intransitive, US slang, dated) To have sex for money, to prostitute oneself.
7. (intransitive, slang) To move (around/about) in a lively or frivolous manner; to fool around. [from 20th c.]
8. (slang, transitive) To distract or pester.

9. (slang) To ejaculate.

Synonyms

• (to destroy): annihilate, ravage; see also Thesaurus:destroy
• (to play jazz music): cook, jam; see also Thesaurus:play music
• (to enliven): invigorate, vitalise; see also Thesaurus:enliven
• (to complicate): complexify, confuscate; see also Thesaurus:complicate
• (to prostitute oneself): sell one's body, turn tricks; see also Thesaurus:prostitute oneself
• (to pester): bother, bug; see also Thesaurus:annoy

Translations

References

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈʒas/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒas/

Noun

jazz m (invariable)

1. jazz

Derived terms

• jazzístic

Further reading

• “jazz” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “jazz”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “jazz” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Noun

jazz m inan

1. jazz

Declension

Further reading

• jazz in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• jazz in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Noun

jazz m (definite singular jazzen)

1. (uncountable) jazz (form of music)

Derived terms

Dutch

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒɛz/, /dʒɛs/
• Hyphenation: jazz

Noun

jazz m (uncountable)

1. jazz

Derived terms

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑts/, [ˈjɑ̝ts̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑts
• Syllabification^(key): jazz

Noun

jazz

1. jazz (style of music)

Declension

Synonyms

• jatsi

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz. The compound jazband is attested in a 1918 copy of Le Matin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒaz/, /dʒɑz/

Noun

jazz m (uncountable)

1. (music) jazz (music style)

Derived terms

• jazz
• jazzifier
• jazzman

Further reading

• “jazz”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛt͡s/^*, /ˈd͡ʒaz/, /ˈd͡ʒɛz/
• Rhymes: -ɛts, -az, -ɛz

Noun

jazz m (uncountable)

1. (music) jazz

Adjective

jazz (invariable)

1. (relational) jazz

   Synonym: jazzistico

Derived terms

• jazzista
• jazzistico

References

Further reading

• jazz in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• jass

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Noun

jazz m (definite singular jazzen)

1. (uncountable) jazz (form of music)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• jass

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz.

Noun

jazz m (definite singular jazzen)

1. (uncountable) jazz (form of music)

Polish

Alternative forms

• dżez

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʐɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs
• Syllabification: jazz
• Homophone: dżez

Noun

jazz m inan

1. jazz
2. (slang) marijuana

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:marihuana

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• jazz in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• jazz in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛs/

Noun

jazz m (uncountable)

1. (music) jazz (music genre)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:jazz.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English jazz or French jazz.

Noun

jazz n (uncountable)

1. (music) jazz (music style)

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English jazz.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -as

Noun

jazz m (uncountable)

1. jazz

Derived terms

Further reading

• “jazz”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Noun

jazz c

1. (music) jazz

Declension

Derived terms

• jazztobak (“cannabis”)

References

• jazz in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• jazz in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• jazz in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)