Music
phat
What does phat mean?
Excellent, attractive, or first-rate. Hip-hop praise meaning something is great.
"That beat is phat, who produced it?"
Origin
Rooted in African American Vernacular English and hip-hop culture, 'phat' spread in the 80s as praise meaning excellent, deliberately respelled from 'fat' (rich, abundant). Various backronyms came later and are folk etymology.
Frequently asked questions
What does phat mean in slang?
It means excellent, cool, or high-quality. It's hip-hop praise spelled with a 'ph' to stand apart from 'fat.'
Where does the word phat come from?
It comes from African American Vernacular English and hip-hop culture, a respelling of 'fat' meaning rich or abundant.
Does phat stand for something?
Backronyms like 'pretty hot and tempting' exist, but they came after the fact — the word predates them as AAVE slang.
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