Beatles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A legendary British rock band known for their influence on music and culture, particularly during the 1960s
2. A group formed in Liverpool that achieved global fame with innovative songwriting and recording techniques
3. Iconic figures in popular music whose work, including influential albums and hits, shaped the landscape of modern music

Etymology: The name of the band was originally spelled "Beatals," a pun on the expression "beat all," meaning to surpass everything. Over time the spelling shifted to "Beatles," which blends "beat," a nod to "beat music" and the pounding of a drum, with "beetles," inspired by the contemporaneous band The Crickets, whose insect name set a pattern for a musical group called after bugs. The result is a name that works on several levels at once: a boast about being the best, a reference to the rhythm that defined the new sound, and a playful joke on an existing group's name. Insect-named bands were a short-lived fashion in American rock, and the spelling change made the name look like a common noun with a tidy visual joke built in.

Synonyms: the Beatles, Fab Four, band, rock band, musical group