General
dig
What does dig mean?
To enjoy or appreciate something deeply.
"I really dig that horn player's style."
Origin
1930s-40s Black American jive slang from Harlem jazz circles, possibly from the Wolof 'dega' (to understand) brought through African American Vernacular English. It appears in hepster dictionaries of the Cab Calloway era and later spread into 1950s-60s mainstream slang.
Frequently asked questions
What does dig mean in jive slang?
It means to understand, appreciate, or pay attention to something.
Where did 'dig' come from?
From 1930s-40s Black jazz and jive culture in Harlem, with possible roots in the Wolof word 'dega,' meaning to understand.
Is 'dig' still used today?
Yes, though it now carries a retro flavor; it stayed alive through beatnik and hippie talk.
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