Refine this word faster
Disc jockey
Definitions
- 1 A person who plays, and sometimes mixes, recorded music at nightclubs, dances, parties, or some other social event; or as a backup musician for spoken word, or hip hop performers.
"The disc jockey played brilliant music at the party."
- 2 a person who announces and plays popular recorded music wordnet
- 3 A person who conducts a radio program of recorded music combined with talk, news, commercials, weather, etc. dated
"The show he produced first aired on WJMR, a white-owned New Orleans radio station. The show's disc jockey used the name “Poppa Stoppa” and played what would then be called “race music,” the term given to any music produced by African American artists."
Etymology
Disc refers to the flat, circular shape of the traditional medium for recorded music. Jockey refers to a diminutive of jock, the Northern English or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name John, which is also used generically for “boy, or fellow” (compare Jack, Dick), at least since 1529. So, disc jockey / DJ etymologically refers to a young person playing (discs holding) music. Coined by journalist Walter Winchell in 1935 to describe Martin Block. Appeared in print in Variety in 1941. Previously also called record man.
See also for "disc jockey"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: discjockey