reggae
Americannoun
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing reggae
Central America and the Caribbean - Introductory
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Central America and the Caribbean - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Roy Forbes-Allen of Hawkeye Records said Harlesden was "known as the UK reggae capital"
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The English group’s second album is a work of unclassifiable but bracingly original music, drawing on post-rock, jazz, folk, reggae and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Festivalgoers were spilling out of the tent to catch a glimpse of their percussive, high energy performance that straddles the line between jazz, funk, reggae and carnival.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Guitars from the Cimarons, Britain’s first reggae band, and the pork-pie hat that adorned the Specials’ Neville Staple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
It was another fast pop-punk song with a reggae beat.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
