rock-and-roll Hear it!

rock-and-roll definition

☆ rock·-and-roll (räk′'n rōl′)

noun

a form of popular music that evolved in the 1950s from rhythm and blues, characterized by the use of electric guitars, a strong rhythm with an accent on the offbeat, and youth-oriented lyrics

Etymology: prob. first so used (1951) by Alan Freed, Cleveland disc jockey: use of rock, roll, rock and roll, etc., with ref. to sexual intercourse, is traditional in blues

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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