[Ads-l] Overwhelming Evidence for "Jasm" As Etymon of "Jazz"

[Shapiro, Fred]

I apologize if I am stating the obvious, but isn't it a sure thing that "jasm," or spelling variants like "jazzum," is the etymon of "jazz"?  Consider the following citation:

1915 _Observer_ (Corning, Cal.) 18 Nov. 1/5 (Newspapers.com) When a buzz-saw going at full speed runs into a keg of ten-penny nails, – that's JAZZ !

Almost the identical words about buzz-saws and kegs of nails appear in numerous early discussions of "jasm" and spelling variants.  "Jazz" is not only phonologically a shortening of "jasm" etc., but it also was plugged into the exact semantic space occupied by the "jasm" words.

Fred Shapiro


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