disc jockey
/ˌdɪsk ˈdʒɑki/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.46 in modern English
29
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
Example Sentences
- "The disc jockey played brilliant music at the party."
- "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.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌdɪsk ˈdʒɑki/
- British English: /ˌdɪsk ˈdʒɒki/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Music.