blues
blues Lexical Profile
blues Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A genre of slow, soulful secular folk music originating among African Americans in the southern United States, characterized by twelve-bar harmonic progressions, call-and-response patterns, melancholy lyrics, and flattened 'blue' notes.
"The guitarist spent decades studying the acoustic delta blues of Mississippi."
A state of temporary sadness, melancholy, low spirits, or dejection (usually preceded by 'the').
"Going for a brisk walk in the morning sunlight helped her shake off the winter blues."
A blue dress uniform or work uniform worn by members of the armed forces, police, or naval services.
"The cadets were instructed to wear their dress blues for the formal graduation parade."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the musical genre, 'blues' is plural in form but typically treated as a singular uncountable noun in grammar (e.g., 'the blues is a foundational American art form'), whereas when referring to feelings of melancholy, it is usually preceded by 'the' and can take either a singular or plural verb.
• Rhymes for blues
Word Origin & Etymology
Shortened from the 18th-century English phrase 'blue devils', which referred to extreme melancholy, despondency, or visual hallucinations accompanying severe alcohol withdrawal. The musical sense emerged in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from African American spirituals, work songs, and field hollers.