Dada
/ˈdɑː.dɑː/noun
An avant-garde art movement that rejected logic, tradition, and conventional aesthetics.
Did you know?The name was famously picked for its randomness and childlike sound, which fit Dada’s anti-rational spirit so well that even its origin became part of the performance.
Etymological Timeline
1916
French
dada
“A chosen nonsense term adopted by artists in Zurich for an anti-art movement”
1916
German/French
Dada
“Name of the international avant-garde movement founded at Cabaret Voltaire”
Late 19th Century
French
dada
“Child’s word for a hobby, toy horse, or beloved object; also used in nursery speech”
Possibly earlier
Various
da da
“An imitative or nursery-speech repetition with no single secure origin”
Modern English
English
Dada
“The anti-establishment art movement associated with absurdity, chance, and protest”