Slang term meaning excellent, cool, or really good at something.
Emerged in 1980s hip-hop and African American Vernacular English, possibly from 'deaf' as in 'so good it's deafening' or from shortening 'definite' to mean 'definitely cool.' The exact origin is debated but it became widespread through music and street culture.
This word is a perfect example of how slang from music and street culture gets absorbed into mainstream English—it's in most dictionaries now, but it started as insider language!
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