English
jazz
Unknown.
first attested First attested around 1912 in a discussion of baseball; attested in reference to music around 1915 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested around 1912 in a discussion of baseball; attested in reference to music around 1915. Numerous references suggest that the term may be connected to jasm and jism.
Today it means
noun A musical art form rooted in West African cultural and musical expression and in the African American blues tradition, with diverse influences over time, commonly characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms and improvisation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / jazz