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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Expression “Cool” Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

Where Did the Expression “Cool” Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

July 7, 2020 by Karen Hill

Cool, like groovy, was a very popular expression of satisfaction during the 1960s and early ’70s, but only the former lives on.

Cool surfaced in the early nineteenth century and, like groovy, which meant “in the groove,” as in a smoothly played vinyl record, it was popularized in the modern era by bebop jazz musicians in the 1940s.

Cool means unfazed and under control, like being on ice, which is real cool.

The word cool has been used to describe a general state of well-being, a transcendent, internal peace and serenity.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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