Groove
/ɡruːv/noun
A long, narrow cut or channel in a surface; by extension, a rhythmic pattern or flow.
Did you know?In English, *groove* first meant a literal furrow or trench, and its later slang sense for musical “flow” shows how a physical channel became a metaphor for a mental or spiritual pathway.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghrebh-
“to dig, scratch, or carve”
Old English
OE
grōf
“a furrow, trench, or groove”
Middle English
ME
grove / groov(e)
“a channel, notch, or cut in a surface”
19th Century
English
groove
“a steady rut or established pattern; later, a musical rhythm or style”
Modern English
English
groove
“a narrow cut or channel; an enjoyable rhythm or sense of flow”