reggae

[reg-ey]

noun

a style of Jamaican popular music blending blues, calypso, and rock-'n'-roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest.

Origin of reggae

< Jamaican English, respelling of reggay (introduced in the song “Do the Reggay” (1968) by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert), a dance name based on rege, *strege a dowdy or raggedy fellow; compare rege-rege ragged clothing, quarrel, row

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reggae

Contemporary Examples of reggae

Context: Last words the reggae legend said to his son Ziggy, after telling him he had a song for him.
Tupac’s ‘F*ck You’ to a Cop and the Best Last Words
Marlow Stern
May 27, 2014
Well, he does a reggae rap while wearing a bandana on his head.
It’s Been 20 Years Since Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling Joined the Mickey Mouse Club
Kevin Fallon
November 15, 2013
Below, British band Massive Attack performed with guest singers Liz Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) and reggae legend Horace Andy.
Nothing New Under the Sun
Justin Jones
October 3, 2013
The track opens with glitchy lo-fi distortion and reggae crooning.
Praise ‘Yeezus’: Kanye West’s New Album Is an Eclectic Tour de Force
Marlow Stern
June 15, 2013
Around the same time, she became romantically involved with Rohan Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley.
Who Is Lauryn Hill? The Singer After the Fugees, Seclusion, Tax Issues
Allison Samuels
July 30, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for reggae

reggae

noun

a type of West Indian popular music having four beats to the bar, the upbeat being strongly accented

Word Origin for reggae

C20: of West Indian origin

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 reggae

1968, Jamaican English (first in song title "Do the Reggay" by Toots & the Maytals), perhaps [OED, Barnhart] related to rege-rege "a quarrel, protest," literally "ragged clothes," variant of raga-raga, alteration and reduplication of English rag (n.).

reggae in Culture

reggae

[(reg-ay)]

A form of pop music that originated in Jamaica, combining elements of calypso and rhythm and blues (see blues) with a strongly accentuated offbeat. Bob Marley was the first internationally known reggae musician.