# rhythm and blues

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A style of music combining elements of jazz and blues, with syncopated rhythms and a strong backbeat, originating among African Americans in the 1940s.
2. Shoes.

## Etymology
First use appears c. 1924, in Billboard, replacing earlier race music.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rhythm-and-blues