Definition
nounA long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a geological channel or depression.
Sentence Examples
The articles of incorporation have finally been completed for our Digital Groove Club.
I'm in a groove.
We'll get back in the groove of things before long.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), probably from Old Norse gróf (“pit”) or from Middle Dutch groeve (“furrow, ditch”), both from Proto-West Germanic *grōbu, from Proto-Germanic *grōbō (“groove, furrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to dig, scrape, bury”).
Cognate with Cimbrian gruuba (“gorge, ravine”), Dutch groef, groeve (“groove; pit, grave”), German Grube (“ditch, pit”), Luxembourgish Grouf (“pit, mine”), Mòcheno gruab (“mine”), Icelandic gróf (“pit, hollow”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐍉𐌱𐌰 (grōba, “foxhole”), Serbo-Croatian grèbati (“scratch, dig”). Related to Old English grafan (“to dig”). More at grave.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Through these distresses, the Odd Girl was cheerful and exemplary. But within four hours after dark we had got into a supernatural groove, and the Odd Girl had seen “Eyes,” and was in hysterics."
— 1859 December 13, Charles Dickens, “The Mortals in the House”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 4:
"The gregarious trifling of life in the social groove."
— 1873, John Morley, Rousseau:
"His counterpart Neil Warnock got his tactics spot on as Chelsea struggled to get into any sort of groove in the first half."
— 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
"Now, what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat / And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet"
— 1979, “Rapper's Delight”, performed by The Sugarhill Gang:
"Let the music play / He won't get away / This groove he can't ignore"
— 1983, Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm, “Let the Music Play”, performed by Shannon: