dada

[dah-dah]

noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

the style and techniques of a group of artists, writers, etc., of the early 20th century who exploited accidental and incongruous effects in their work and who programmatically challenged established canons of art, thought, morality, etc.

Origin of dada

1915–20; < French: hobby horse, childish reduplication of da giddyap

Related formsda·da·ism, nounda·da·ist, nounda·da·is·tic, adjectiveda·da·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

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British Dictionary definitions for dadaism

Dada

Dadaism (ˈdɑːdɑːˌɪzəm)

noun

a nihilistic artistic movement of the early 20th century in W Europe and the US, founded on principles of irrationality, incongruity, and irreverence towards accepted aesthetic criteria

Derived FormsDadaist, noun, adjectiveDadaistic, adjectiveDadaistically, adverb

Word Origin for Dada

C20: from French, from a children's word for hobbyhorse, the name being arbitrarily chosen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dadaism

dada

1920, from French dada "hobbyhorse," child's nonsense word, selected 1916 by Romanian poet Tristan Tzara (1896-1963), leader of the movement, for its resemblance to meaningless babble.

Freedom: DADA DADA DADA, the howl of clashing colors, the intertwining of all contradictions, grotesqueries, trivialities: LIFE. [T. Tzara, "Dada Manifesto," 1918]

Related: Dadaist; Dadaism.