Groovers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of music enthusiast known for enjoying or dancing to rhythmically engaging tunes
2. a person who engages in lively or energetic movement typically in a social setting
3. an individual characterized by their upbeat attitude and passion for groove-based genres of music

Etymology: Groovers is the plural of "groover", a noun meaning a lively social dancer. The word is built from "groove" with the agent suffix "-er", which English attached to verbs and nouns to name a person who does something. The "-er" ending itself is old: it descends from a Latin suffix that passed through Old French and Middle English, and English has long used it for people who perform an action. The "groove" part carries the more interesting history. Its sense of a rhythmic, pleasing pattern, the feeling of being in the swing of something, grew out of the older meaning of a channel or furrow cut into a surface. A dancer who is "in the groove" is moving in a settled, well-cut track, and the person who creates that feeling in a crowd becomes a groover.