# jazz

Pronunciation: say "JAZ" /d͡ʒæz/

## Noun

1. A musical art form rooted in West African expression and the African American blues tradition, marked by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.
   - Simple: A kind of music that began with African American musicians, known for its swing feel and made-up solos.
   - _The festival celebrated jazz from its New Orleans roots to modern fusion._
   - _Improvisation lies at the heart of jazz, where no two performances sound exactly alike._
3. A quality of energy, excitement, and liveliness.
   - Simple: Energy and excitement, or a lively, eager feeling.
   - _The new manager brought a certain jazz to the office that everyone noticed._
   - _His speech had real jazz, full of energy and drive._
4. Empty or foolish talk that means nothing.
   - Simple: Talk or ideas that make no sense.
   - _I'm tired of all that jazz about needing more meetings._
   - _She dismissed his excuses as pure jazz._
5. The general substance or makeup of something; various unspecified things.
   - Simple: Things or stuff, especially of a kind you don't bother to name.
   - _He talked about deadlines, budgets, and all that jazz._
   - _Bring your boots, gloves, and the rest of that jazz._
8. Something of excellent quality; the real, genuine thing.
   - Simple: Something that is truly excellent and real, not fake.
   - _Collectors agreed the antique watch was the real jazz, not a cheap imitation._
   - _Her grandmother's recipe is the genuine jazz, passed down for generations._
13. Semen. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Semen, said in a rude or crude way.
   - _She found dried jazz on the bedsheets the next morning._
   - _He was embarrassed by the jazz stain on his jeans._
16. A red-skinned variety of apple grown for eating.
   - Simple: A red-skinned apple grown to be eaten fresh.
   - _The orchard sells jazz alongside its other dessert apples._
   - _Many shoppers reach for jazz because of its sweet, sharp flavor._

## Verb

2. To liven up something or make it brighter, more colorful, or more exciting.
   - Simple: To make something more lively, bright, or exciting.
   - _The designer jazzed up the lobby with bold artwork and warm lighting._
   - _We need to jazz up this presentation before the big meeting._
6. To perform or play jazz music.
   - Simple: To play music in the jazz style.
   - _The quartet jazzed late into the night at the corner bar._
   - _They jazz together whenever the old band reunites._
7. To dance in time with jazz music.
   - Simple: To dance to the sound of jazz music.
   - _She jazzed across the floor with carefree energy._
   - _Crowds gathered to jazz beneath the string lights._
9. To destroy or ruin something. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To break or ruin something completely.
   - _A single careless mistake jazzed the entire project._
   - _Don't let one rumor jazz your good reputation._
10. To make something more complicated than it was. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To make something harder or more complicated.
   - _Adding three more approvals just jazzed an already slow system._
   - _Try not to jazz the schedule with extra steps._
11. To move around in a lively or carefree way; to fool around. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To move about in a lively, playful way.
   - _Teenagers jazzed about the park instead of heading home._
   - _We jazz around the studio between takes to stay loose._
12. To distract or pester someone. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To bother or distract someone.
   - _Reporters jazzed the mayor with questions all afternoon._
   - _Please don't jazz me while I'm on this call._
14. To ejaculate, in vulgar slang. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To release semen from the body.
   - _He worried he might jazz too quickly._
   - _The medication delayed how long it took him to jazz._

## Verb

15. To have sex for money; to work as a prostitute. *(dated, US)*
   - Simple: To have sex in exchange for money.
   - _Down by the docks, women jazzed for a few coins a night._
   - _Desperate to eat, some would jazz along the waterfront._

## Origin

The origin is unknown. It first appeared around 1912 in a discussion of baseball, and was used for music around 1915. Some sources suggest it may be linked to the words "jasm" and "jism."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/jazz (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).