The Etymology of Blues
The colour blue has meant sadness in English since at least Chaucer, but 'the blues' as a noun for mβββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββelancholy traces to 'blue devils' β 18th-century slang for depression and the hallucinations of alcohol withdrawal. Washington Irving used 'the blues' in 1807, and the shortened form became standard. The musical genre emerged in the late 19th century from African American spirituals, work songs, and field hollers in the Mississippi Delta, but wasn't called 'blues' until around 1912. Some scholars propose a West African connection, noting that Yoruba and Mandinka cultures associated indigo dyes with mourning. Whatever the colour's deeper roots, 'blues' is a rare case of a word migrating from colour to emotion to an entire musical tradition.