: popular music of Jamaican origin that combines elements of traditional Caribbean rhythms and jazz

Examples of ska in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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What ska had imbibed from American jazz and R&B was a musical ESP about where to put the emphasis and where to leave some space. Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 In short, Carlos Malcolm is the first arranger to write formal music scores of Jamaican ska music. Heather Augustyn, SPIN, 21 Jan. 2025 Carlos was one of the pioneering musicians and composers who forged ska from Jamaican jazz, American rhythm and blues, and Jamaican mento, and ska was the music that Marley and Cliff performed before becoming world-renowned for reggae. Heather Augustyn, SPIN, 21 Jan. 2025 Jamaica gave the world five genres: reggae, rocksteady, ska, mento and dancehall. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ska

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of scat entry 3

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ska was in 1963

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Cite this Entry

“Ska.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ska. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

ska

noun
: popular music of Jamaican origin that combines elements of traditional Caribbean rhythms and jazz
Etymology

perhaps an alteration of scat "jazz singing with meaningless syllables"

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