blues

¹

[blooz]

noun

1. (used with a plural verb),  the blues, depressed spirits; despondency; melancholy.

   This rainy spell is giving me the blues.

2. (used with a singular verb)

   1. a song, originating with African Americans, that is marked by the frequent occurrence of blue notes, and that takes the basic form, customarily improvised upon in performance, of a 12-bar chorus consisting of a 3-line stanza with the second line repeating the first.

   2. the genre constituting such songs.

blues

²

[blooz]

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. any of various blue military uniforms worn by members of the U.S. armed services.

   dress blues.

2. a blue uniform for work; blue work clothes.

   a doctor in surgical blues.

3. Informal.,  police.

   The blues keep this neighborhood safe.

blues

¹

/ bluːz /

plural noun

1. a feeling of depression or deep unhappiness

2. a type of folk song devised by Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century, usually employing a basic 12-bar chorus, the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords, frequent minor intervals, and blue notes

Blues

²

/ bluːz /

plural noun

1. the Royal Horse Guards

blues

1. A kind of jazz that evolved from the music of African-Americans, especially work songs and spirituals (see also spirituals), in the early twentieth century. Blues pieces often express worry or depression.

Other Word Forms

• bluesy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blues¹

First recorded in 1740–50; blue (in the sense “depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy”)

Origin of blues²

blue, -s ³

Idioms and Phrases

see have the blues.

Example Sentences

But I love blues and soul and rock and roll.

From Los Angeles Times

Souris observes that the song “. . .is a blues song, not because of any chord progression, but because Sinéad sees the world for what it is and laments its hypocrites.”

From Salon

The sludgy and foreboding take on electrified blues music, coupled with sci-fi stories and witch tales, laid the groundwork for decades of hard rock music across nine albums with Black Sabbath.

From Salon

They developed a unique sound, inspired by the blues but slower, louder and more sinister - with frequent references to the occult.

From BBC

November is another feast of feasts, with All Saints' on the first of the month and Armistice on the 11th offering relief from autumn blues.

From BBC