Zydeco, n.

zydeco
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zydeco_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2024

# Zydeconoun

## Earlier version

- Zydeco in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zydeco mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun Zydeco. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in U.S. English.

### How common is the noun Zydeco?

About 0.03occurrences per million words in modern written English

1960 | 0.014
1970 | 0.019
1980 | 0.023
1990 | 0.023
2000 | 0.028
2010 | 0.033

### How is the noun Zydeco pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzʌɪdᵻkəʊ/
ZIGH-duh-koh

#### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪdəˌkoʊ/
ZIGH-duh-koh

### Where does the noun Zydeco come from?

Earliest known use

1940s

The earliest known use of the noun Zydeco is in the 1940s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zydeco is from 1949, in the song Zolo Go by ‘Lightnin' Hopkins’.

Zydeco is apparently a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French les haricots.

### Nearby entries

1. zwanziger, n. 1828–
2. Zweig, n. 1973–
3. zwieback, n. 1894–
4. zwieselite, n. 1861–
5. Zwinglian, n. & adj. 1532–
6. Zwinglianism, n. 1581–
7. Zwinglianist, n. 1673–1759
8. zwischenzug, n. 1941–
9. zwitterion, n. 1906–
10. zwitterionic, adj. 1946–
11. Zydeco, n.1949–
12. zygadite, n. 1861–
13. zygaena, n. 1717–
14. zygaenid, n. & adj. 1913–
15. zygaenidan, n. 1837–
16. zygal, adj. 1886–
17. zygantrum, n. 1854–
18. zygapophysial, adj. 1870–
19. zygapophysis, n. 1854–
20. zygite, n. 1888–
21. zygnemaceous, adj.

## Etymology

### Summary

Apparently a borrowing from French.
Etymon: French les haricots.
Apparently representing a rapid or regional pronunciation of French les haricots (in Les haricots sont pas salés, lit. ‘the beans are not salty,’ the refrain of a traditional song and dance-tune…
Apparently representing a rapid or regional pronunciation of French les haricots (in Les haricots sont pas salés, lit. ‘the beans are not salty,’ the refrain of a traditional song and dance-tune J'ai fait tout le tour du pays, which was often performed in this style).

### Notes

A performance of J'ai fait tout le tour du pays by Creole musicians Jimmy Peters & the Ring Dance Singers, was recorded by U.S. ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in 1934, and featured a syncopated solo vocal sung to an accompaniment of washboard percussion and punctuated by expressive shouts.

## Meaning & use

U.S.

1. 1949–
   A kind of uptempo syncopated music originating among Creole people in southern Louisiana, typically featuring an accordion and a type of washboard known as a vest frottoir. Also: a dance performed to this.
   1. 1949

      > You know we gotta zydeco dance.

      ‘Lightnin' Hopkins’, Zolo Go (transcribed from song) in Gold Star Sessions (1990) vol. I.
   2. 1964

      > ‘Zydeco’ is a mixture of the blues and the music of the early Acadian settlers and is very popular in Southern Louisiana and along the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast especially in Houston, Texas.

      American Folk Music Occasional No. 1. 28
   3. 1979

      > [The Twisters] have two records currently available here: Doin' The Zydeco..and Zy-De-Blue.

      Guardian 13 June 10/7
   4. 1979

      > Zodico refers to the fast, syncopated dance numbers in a Creole band's repertoire as well as to the dance event itself.

      N. Spitzer, Zodico: Louisiana Creole Music (record sleeve notes) 3/1
   5. 2022

      > The festival is..known for showcasing the wide gamut of musical talent and genres found in Louisiana such as zydeco, gospel, blues and of course, jazz.

      Independent (Nexis) 7 May
   dance music U.S. English
   1. kalinda 1763–
      Any of various dances performed in the Caribbean, South America, and Louisiana, which are influenced by African dance traditions.
   2. breakdown 1819–
      U.S. regional (chiefly southern). A boisterous rural dancing party; a hoedown, shindig. Also: a fast dance or song typical of this; esp. one…
   3. juba 1838–
      A species of dance or breakdown practised by the black inhabitants of the southern United States, accompanied by clapping of the hands, patting of…
   4. hoedown 1841–
      A noisy, riotous dance; = breakdown, n. 3.
   5. walk-along-Joe 1862
      A type of dance; cf. walk-around, n. A.1.
   6. cakewalk 1902–
      A dance characterized by an exaggeratedly upright carriage of the body, strutting movements, and intricate steps and high kicks, performed to…
   7. scronch 1925–
      A kind of slow dance apparently originally performed to swing or boogie-woogie music in the 1920s and 1930s.
   8. Lindy Hop 1927–
      A dance performed to fast, lively jazz or swing music and characterized by exuberant, bouncing steps and improvisation, typically involving a…
   9. Lindy 1929–
      = Lindy Hop, n.
   10. swing dance 1934–
       Any of various lively, energetic dances typically performed to swing music (see swing, n.² I.10b) and characterized by exuberant, bouncing steps and…
   11. Zydeco 1949–
       A kind of uptempo syncopated music originating among Creole people in southern Louisiana, typically featuring an accordion and a type of washboard…
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. galliard 1545–1789
      The air to which the galliard was danced. Obsolete.
   2. passamezzo 1568–
      A slow dance of Italian origin in 2/4 time, related to the pavane; a piece of music for this.
   3. pavane 1591–
      A piece of music written for this dance. In later use also: a piece of music written in the same rhythm or style as that used for a pavane, or…
   4. passy-measure 1597–
      = passamezzo, n. Frequently attributive and in plural, esp. in passy-measures pavane.
   5. rant 1656–
      Chiefly Scottish. A lively, noisy, or irregular tune or song, esp. a lively dance tune.
   6. passacaglia 1659–
      A slow musical composition written in triple time, usually consisting of continuous variations over a ground bass. Also: an early kind of Spanish…
   7. passacaille 1667–
      = passacaglia, n.
   8. chaconne 1685–
      An obsolete dance, or the music to which it was danced, moderately slow, and usually in 3–4 time. ‘The chaconne served as finale to a ballet or…
   9. rigadoon 1690–
      The music to which this dance may be performed; esp. a lively dance tune in 2/4 time.
   10. passepied 1696–
       A dance in triple time resembling a lively minuet; a piece of music for this dance.
   11. rigaudon 1708–
       = rigadoon, n. 2.
   12. Congo minuet 1772–
       A two-person dance consisting of small, quick, springy steps and incorporating elements of Kongo dance traditions, popular in the late 18th and…
   13. bourrée 1776–
       A musical composition, written usually in duple rhythm and in two-measure phrases, in which the character of the lively dance so named is represented.
   14. minuet de la cour 1783–
       A popular variety of minuet. Now historical.
   15. quadrille 1802–
       A piece of music to which a quadrille may be danced.
   16. treble 1805–
       In technical and elliptical uses. A kind of step-dance; the measure of or music for this. dialect.
   17. pigeon wing 1807–
       North American. Dance and Skating. A dance step performed by jumping up and striking the legs together whilst in the air; a dance featuring such a…
   18. polka 1825–
       A piece of music typically written in 2/4 time as the accompaniment to a characteristic dance (see sense 2).
   19. redowa 1843–
       A Bohemian folk dance; a ballroom dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time based on this. Also: a piece of music intended to accompany such a dance.
   20. polka time 1844–
       General attributive in senses 2 and 1, as polka band, polka music, polka step, polka time, etc.
   21. sega 1861–
       A dance form of the Mascarene Islands (originally and esp. Mauritius, Réunion, and the Seychelles), now typically involving rhythmic swaying and…
   22. écossaise 1863–
       The music for such a dance (see also quot. 1863); a tune to which the dance is performed.
   23. verbunkos 1880–
       A type of Hungarian dance to gypsy music; the music played to accompany this dance; a piece of music written in this style.
   24. drag 1901–
       Originally U.S. A piece of music in a slow ragtime rhythm; (also) this rhythm. Cf. rag, n.⁵ 2a. Now rare and chiefly historical.
   25. foxtrot 1915–
       A modern dance, of American origin, consisting chiefly of alternating measures of long and short steps; also, a piece of music suitable as an…
   26. burru 1929–
       A kind of vigorous, popular, and sometimes indecent, dance; the music, esp. drumming, used to accompany this.
   27. rumba 1931–
       A piece of music for this dance or in its rhythm; the rhythm itself.
   28. palais glide 1936–
       A ballroom dance with high kicks and gliding steps performed by large groups linking arms in a row. Also figurative.
   29. Lambeth Walk 1937–
       The name of a street in Lambeth, used as the title of a Cockney song and dance first performed by Lupino Lane in the revue Me and my Gal in 1937.
   30. jitterbug 1938–
       A dance performed chiefly to fast, lively jazz, swing, or boogie-woogie music, characterized by exuberant, bouncing steps and improvisation, and…
   31. high life 1942–
       Chiefly in form highlife. Originally: a West African (originally Ghanaian) dance based on the two-step, with an emphasis on the dancer's individual…
   32. Zydeco 1949–
       A kind of uptempo syncopated music originating among Creole people in southern Louisiana, typically featuring an accordion and a type of washboard…
   33. big beat 1958–
       Music with a prominent beat, or (also in plural) the beat itself; spec. (a) chiefly U.S. rock and roll; (b) chiefly British a type of dance music…
   34. hand jive 1958–
       A (repeated) sequence of rhythmic hand movements performed whilst or instead of dancing, esp. to rock-and-roll music. Cf. jive, n. A.2b.
   35. hand jiving 1958–
       The action of performing a hand jive. Cf. hand jive, n.
   36. hokey-cokey 1966–
       A kind of dance.
   37. twist 1966–
       A dance in which the body is twisted from side to side; spec. a dance of this kind popular in the early 1960s. Also, music for such a dance.
   38. Cajun 1967–
       A style of traditional music originating in rural southern Louisiana that incorporates elements such as singing styles associated with Indigenous…
   39. club music 1971–
       Any of various styles of music played at or associated with nightclubs; esp. electronic dance music.
   40. chicken scratch 1972–
       A type of dance music originating among the Pima and Tohono O'odham peoples of the Sonoran desert region of the United States and Mexico, blending…
   41. smoocher 1976–
       A song or piece of music suitable for accompanying slow, close dancing.
   42. urban contemporary 1980–
       a. n. (A general term for) a variety of genres of popular dance music, chiefly associated with black performers, including R&B, hip-hop, drum…
   43. funana 1981–
       A type of dance music originating in the Cape Verde Islands, traditionally played on an accordion and accompanied by a ferrinho (ferrinho, n.)…
   44. burger highlife 1987–
       A genre of dance music developed by Ghanaian immigrants in Germany, blending elements of highlife music with elements of Eurodisco and funk. Cf. high…
   45. New Beat 1988–
       A type of electronic dance music, popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, originating in Belgium, and characterized by a slow, mechanical beat.
   46. trance dance 1988–
       A type of electronic dance music derived from Acid House and techno, characterized by rhythms and sounds intended to be hypnotic or…
   47. happy hardcore 1993–
       A form of electronic dance music characterized by a very fast tempo, a repetitive 4/4 beat, and an upbeat or euphoric sound, often featuring female…
   48. Goa trance 1994–
       (Also with capital initials) a variety of electronic dance music originating in Goa as a subgenre of trance (see trance, n.¹ additions) and closely…
   49. hardbag 1994–
       A form of electronic dance music popular in the mid to late 1990s, derived from techno and incorporating elements of handbag (handbag, n. 2c) and…
   50. hardstep 1994–
       A type of electronic dance music, derived from drum and bass and influenced by soul and reggae; frequently (and in earliest use) attributive.
   51. azonto 2011–
       A freestyle dance originating in Ghana, involving fluid, rhythmic movements usually mimicking everyday activities, performed while twisting one leg…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzʌɪdᵻkəʊ/
ZIGH-duh-koh

### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪdəˌkoʊ/
ZIGH-duh-koh

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1900s–
   zarico, zodico, zologo, zotico, zottico, zydeco

## Frequency

Zydeco typically occurs about 0.03 times per million words in modern written English.

Zydeco is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of Zydeco, n., 1960–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1960 | 0.014
1970 | 0.019
1980 | 0.023
1990 | 0.023
2000 | 0.028
2010 | 0.033

### Frequency of Zydeco, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.031
2018 | 0.028
2019 | 0.028
2020 | 0.029
2021 | 0.028
2022 | 0.028
2023 | 0.03
2024 | 0.03

Zydeco, n. was revised in March 2024.

Zydeco, n. was last modified in September 2024.