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jive

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒaɪv/

The English word “jive” has 10 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To deceive; to be deceptive.
  2. To dance, originally to jive or swing music; later, to jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, disco, etc.
  3. To speak in jive (jazz or hipster slang).
  4. To jibe: to accord, to agree.

noun

  1. A dance style popular in the 1940–50s.
  2. Swing, a style of jazz music.
  3. A slang associated with jazz musicians; hepcat patois or hipster jargon.
  4. Synonym of bullshit: patent nonsense, transparently deceptive talk.
  5. African-American Vernacular English.
  6. Marijuana

Etymology

Unknown. Slang attested in African-American and rural American culture. Frequently used to imply lying, verbal deception or trickery. Has a possible historical antecedent in gyve (“shackle”). Alternatively, of African origin, compare Wolof jev, jeu (“to talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner”).

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