reggae

American  

[reg-ey] / ˈrɛg eɪ /

noun

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

---

reggae British  

/ ˈrɛɡeɪ /

noun

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

---

reggae Cultural  

1. 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.

---

Etymology

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

Explanation

Reggae is a popular style of music that began in Jamaica and often has political and spiritual themes. Bob Marley, who died in 1981, is still the most well-known reggae musician. The origins of the word reggae are a bit unclear, although most experts think it comes from the Jamaican English rege-rege, which means both "a quarrel or protest" and "ragged clothing." It first appeared in the title of a Toots and the Maytals song, "Do the Reggay," in 1968. Reggae grew out of ska and rocksteady, slowing the rhythm and adding a distinctive upbeat. Reggae is closely connected with the Rastafarian religion.

Example Sentences

West London reggae artist Hollie Cook has received about £5,000 to help cover the estimated £5,500 loss she would have made on her current tour - thanks to band fees, travel and accommodation.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The project will consist of seven albums, released over seven months, each devoted to a genre — hip-hop, reggae, jazz, country, Haitian kompa, R&B — and each traceable to a pivotal moment in his career.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

“Company,” a reggae tune with a guest appearance from Jamaican dancehall vocalist Buju Banton, gives Ms. Lennox an opportunity to try on a sing-song melodic guise and it suits her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

After meeting bassist Robbie Shakespeare in 1972, the pair built distinct rhythms such as the insistent “Rockers” groove that bolstered canonical reggae tracks.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

I grew up on reggae music but had not heard it for a while.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah