A person who plays and introduces music on the radio or at events; short for 'disc jockey,' someone who selects and plays recorded music for an audience.
Shortening and phonetic spelling of 'disc jockey,' where 'disc' refers to vinyl records (from Latin 'discus'—a disk) and 'jockey' means a skilled rider or operator (originally someone who rode horses). The abbreviation 'DJ' emerged in the mid-1900s as radio became popular.
Try Another Word