BLUES

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blues mean? 

• BLUES (noun)
  The noun BLUES has 2 senses:

1. a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes

2. a state of depression

  Familiarity information: BLUES used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLUES (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("blues" is a kind of...):

African-American music; black music (music created by African-American musicians; early forms were songs that had a melodic line and a strong rhythmic beat with repeated choruses)

folk ballad; folk song; folksong (a song that is traditionally sung by the common people of a region and forms part of their culture)

Meronyms (parts of "blues"):

blue note (a flattened third or seventh)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blues"):

boogie; boogie-woogie (an instrumental version of the blues (especially for piano))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A state of depression

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

blue devils; blues; megrims; vapors; vapours

Context example:

he had a bad case of the blues

Hypernyms ("blues" is a kind of...):

depression (a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity)

 Context examples 

Heyer says he was surprised when he realized for the first time that the rotation of our galaxy contains a rhythm — and that funky blues seemed to fit perfectly.

(Does Our Galaxy Sound Like Funky Blues Music?, George Putic/VOA)

The greens and blues of antibacterial clays come from having a high content of chemically reduced iron, as opposed to oxidized iron, which provides the familiar rust color associated with many clays.

(Scientists discover how blue and green clays kill bacteria, NSF)

The spectacular planetary nebula NGC 7009, or the Saturn Nebula, emerges from the darkness like a series of oddly-shaped bubbles, lit up in glorious pinks and blues.

(The Strange Structures of the Saturn Nebula, ESO)

If we had been allowed to sit idle, we should all have fallen in the blues, but Captain Smollett was never the man for that.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

He had reasoned himself into a spell of the blues, and within few hours one could look for the devil within him to be up and stirring.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Iridophores have layers of reflecting plates that create iridescent greens, blues, silvers and golds, while leucophores are cells which can detect what colors best match the animal's surrounding.

(Octopuses can dream, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

"So, I recrafted the algorithm so it could transform the data into a musical blues scale."

(Does Our Galaxy Sound Like Funky Blues Music?, George Putic/VOA)

The previous evening he had reasoned himself into the blues, and I had been waiting momentarily for one of his characteristic outbursts.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

After some experimenting, Heyer decided to use the pentatonic minor blues scale.

(Does Our Galaxy Sound Like Funky Blues Music?, George Putic/VOA)

Emotional delight is more filling and lasting than intellectual delight; and, besides, you pay for your moments of intellectual delight by having the blues.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)