A type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes.

Dutch: bleus, blues
Polish: blues

A state of depression:
— He had a bad case of the blues.

synonyms: blue devils, megrims, vapors, vapours.

Roget 837: dejection; dejectedness etc. adj.; depression, prosternation^†; lowness of spirits, depression of spirits; weight on the spirits, oppression on the spirits, damp on the spirits; low spirits, bad spirits, drooping spirits, depressed spirits; heart sinking; heaviness of heart, failure of heart.    heaviness etc. adj.; infestivity^†, gloom; weariness etc. 841; taedium vitae, disgust of life; mal du pays etc. (regret) 833; anhedonia^†.    melancholy; sadness etc. adj.; il penseroso [It], melancholia, dismals^†, blues, lachrymals^†, mumps^†, dumps, blue devils, doldrums; vapors, megrims, spleen, horrors, hypochondriasis [Med.], pessimism; la maladie sans maladie [Fr.]; despondency, slough of Despond; disconsolateness etc. adj.; hope deferred, blank despondency; voiceless woe.    prostration of soul; broken heart; despair etc. 859; cave of despair, cave of Trophonius demureness etc. adj.; gravity, solemnity; long face, grave face.    hypochondriac, seek sorrow, self-tormentor, heautontimorumenos^†, malade imaginaire [Fr.], medecin tant pis [Fr.]; croaker, pessimist; mope, mopus^†.    [Cause of dejection] affliction etc. 830; sorry sight; memento mori [Lat.]; damper, wet blanket, Job's comforter.    ... show more