to decorate something with jazz elements, style, or flair; to make something more lively and modern.
From 'be-' combined with 'jazz,' the American musical genre that emerged in New Orleans in the early 1900s. Jazz itself has uncertain origins, possibly from African languages or slang terms.
This word captures a specific moment in early 20th-century culture when 'jazz' became a verb meaning to enliven or add pizzazz. You see similar formations like 'be-bop' and 'be-boppers'—the 'be-' prefix rode jazz culture into American slang.
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