blues

(blo̵̅o̅z)

plural noun

  1. Informal a depressed, unhappy feeling: used with the
  2. black folk music characterized by minor harmonies, typically slow tempo, and melancholy words: often used with the
  3. the form of jazz that evolved from this: often used with the
  4. a song or composition in this style

Origin: short for blue devils

See blues in American Heritage Dictionary 4

plural noun (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
  1. A state of depression or melancholy. Often used with the.
  2. A style of music that evolved from southern African-American secular songs and is usually distinguished by a strong 4/4 rhythm, flatted thirds and sevenths, a 12-bar structure, and lyrics in a three-line stanza in which the second line repeats the first: “The blues is an expression of anger against shame and humiliation” (B.B. King).

Origin:

Origin: Short for blue devils

.

Related Forms:

  • bluesˈman noun
  • bluesˈy adjective

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