ragtime
/ˈɹæɡˌtaɪm/ noun, verb
Forms ragtimes ragtiming ragtimed rag-time
- noun (music, uncountable) A musical form having a rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment.
- noun (music, countable) A piece of music in this style.
- verb (ambitransitive, uncommon) To perform this style of music.
Synonyms
Etymology
Likely from ragged + time, in reference to its heavy use of syncopation, or from rag, an American dialectal term for a dance ball.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Time characterized by syncopation, as in many negro melodies.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ragtime”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details