Reggae Meaning
/ˈɹɛɡeɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s and is heavily associated with Rastafarianism, featuring a heavy bass line and percussive rhythm guitar on the offbeat, often with close vocal harmonies.
Sentence Examples
What do you think of reggae?
Tom knows Mary likes reggae.
I heard some reggae music playing in the distance.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Bob Marley is known for popularizing ____ music around the world in the 1970s.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The festival featured a lineup of ____ artists from Jamaica and the Caribbean diaspora.
Word Origin & History
From Jamaican Creole rege (“rags; a quarrel”), see rag; originally used in the 1960s to describe a Jamaican dance. Compare ragtime. Broader musical sense popularized by the 1968 Maytals song “Do the Reggay”.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I want to do the reggay with you / Come onto me, do the dance"
— 1968, Toots Hibbert, “Do the Reggay”, performed by The Maytals:
"I mean, the very name reggae. I mean, it wasn’t called reggae in the first place. It came from blue beat, just ska, you know? Ska and blue beat, the era, and then reggae. Because it was a dance, originally. And the DJs thought, “That’s a nice name,” and the kept saying “reggae music, reggae music” on the air all the time. “Reggae music, reggae music, the DJs on the radio. So everyone kept on saying “Reggae music”. They classed it as …(other Matumbi band members join in) Reggae."
— 1978, 05:35 from the start, in Wolfgang Büld, director, 'Reggae In a Babylon (film (documentary)), spoken by Dennis Bovell (as himself, a member of the band Matumbi):
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Bob Marley is known for popularizing ____ music around the world in the 1970s.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The festival featured a lineup of ____ artists from Jamaica and the Caribbean diaspora.