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jook joint

jook joint

9.9
A small lively place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to music
  • noun
  • /dʒuːk dʒɔɪnt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : juke joint
  • On Saturday night, the local jook joint comes alive with music and people dancing.

Examples

  • We visited a local jook joint last night.

  • During their road trip through Mississippi, they stopped at a famous jook joint for dinner and dancing.

  • Many blues musicians got their start performing at jook joints in the South.

  • The band played late into the night at the local jook joint.

  • Have you ever eaten at a jook joint?

  • Everyone gathered at the jook joint to enjoy some good food and live blues music.

  • The old jook joint has been serving the community for decades, providing a place to relax and celebrate.

Synonyms

joint
vsjook joint
  • Informal
314 5.1

An informal place like a bar or club

is narrower, referring to a specific southern roadside music and dancing venue
juke
vsjook joint
  • Informal
7 9.9

A small roadside bar where people eat, drink, and dance to a jukebox

is an alternate regional form of the same type of venue
juke joint
vsjook joint
  • Informal
4 9.5

A small informal place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to blues from a jukebox

is the same concept but uses a variant regional name or spelling
honkytonk
vsjook joint
  • US
1 9.8

A cheap bar or dance hall where people dance to country music

is a southern jukebox music venue often without country music focus
jook
vsjook joint
  • Archaic
9.9

A small roadside bar in the southern United States with music and dancing

is a different spelling or name used in the same southern context
juke house
vsjook joint
  • Informal
9.8

A small informal place where people eat, drink, and dance to jukebox music

is the same kind of place but called by a different local term
jook house
vsjook joint
  • Archaic
9.9

A small place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to jukebox music

is used more generally across the southern region

How Lively

nightclub
172 1.6
club
835 1.2
roadhouse
16 4.9
jook joint
  • Archaic
9.9
dive
  • Slang
34 7.9

Surface Forms

jook joint singular
jook joints plural

Morphology

jook + joint

Both constituents refer to informal venues — 'jook' (a small music/drinking/dancing spot) and 'joint' (an informal bar or club) — so the compound simply reinforces that sense. Although 'jook' is regionally and culturally specific, the meaning of 'jook joint' is compositionally derivable from its parts, so a learner who knows both words can infer the overall sense.

Etymology

The noun jook joint comes from the Southern word jook, which meant rough, lively dancing, and joint, meaning a simple bar or place. One popular story says these were small, noisy spots with food, drink, a jukebox and dancing, so today jook joint means 'a small lively place with music and dancing'.