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.
"We were trying to form a new type of music which used influences from reggae and punk rock and funk and whatever," Panter said.
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
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
They got their break in 1969, after sending a reggae version of John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance to its writer.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
The whine of the alarms clashes sharply with the chill reggae music.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
