Long, narrow furrows or channels cut into a surface; also refers to established routines or patterns of behavior.
From Middle Dutch 'groeve' meaning 'furrow' or 'ditch', related to Old English 'grӕf' (grave, trench). The musical sense emerged in the 1930s jazz scene, referring to the rhythm track of a record, later extending to mean any compelling rhythmic pattern.
The phrase 'in the groove' came from early phonographs where the needle had to stay in the record's groove to play music properly - being 'in the groove' meant everything was working smoothly. Jazz musicians adopted this to describe when a band was playing with perfect timing and feel.
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