Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A long narrow furrow or channel.
  • noun The spiral track cut into a phonograph record for the stylus to follow.
  • noun Slang A settled routine.
  • noun Slang A situation or an activity that one enjoys or to which one is especially well suited.
  • noun Slang A very pleasurable experience.
  • intransitive verb To cut a groove or grooves in.
  • intransitive verb Baseball To throw (a pitch) over the middle of home plate, where it is likely to be hit.
  • intransitive verb To take great pleasure or satisfaction; enjoy oneself.
  • intransitive verb To be affected with pleasurable excitement.
  • intransitive verb To react or interact harmoniously.
  • idiom (in the groove) Performing exceptionally well.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cut or make a groove or channel in; furrow.
  • To form as or fix in a groove; make by cutting a groove or grooves.
  • noun A pit or hole in the ground; specifically, in mining, a shaft or pit sunk into the earth.
  • noun A furrow or long hollow, such as is cut by a tool; a rut or furrow, such as is formed in the ground or in a rock by the action of water; a channel, usually an elongated narrow channel, formed by any agency.
  • noun Specifically A long and regular incision cut by a tool, or a narrow channel formed in any way (as in a part of a construction), for something (as another part) to fit into or move in.
  • noun Especially— The sunken or plowed channel on the edge of a matched board, to receive the tongue.
  • noun The spiral rifling of a gun.
  • noun In the wind-chest of an organ, one of the channels or passages into which the wind in admitted by the pallets, and with which the pipes belonging to a given key are directly or indirectly connected. When a given key is struck, its pallet is opened, and the groove filled with compressed air. Whether all the pipes connected with the groove are sounded or not depends on how many stops are drawn. Also grove.
  • noun In anatomy and zoology, a natural furrow or longitudinal hollow or impression, especially one which is destined to receive one of the organs in repose: as, the antennal groove; the rostral groove in the Rhynchophora, etc.
  • noun Figuratively, a fixed routine; a narrow, unchanging course; a rut: as, life is apt to run in a groove; a groove of thought or of action.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To cut a groove or channel in; to form into channels or grooves; to furrow.
  • noun A furrow, channel, or long hollow, such as may be formed by cutting, molding, grinding, the wearing force of flowing water, or constant travel; a depressed way; a worn path; a rut.
  • noun Hence: The habitual course of life, work, or affairs; fixed routine.
  • noun (Mining), Prov. Eng. A shaft or excavation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tyre groove, or a geological channel or depression.
  • noun A fixed routine
  • noun The middle of the strike zone in baseball where a pitch is most easily hit
  • noun A pronounced, enjoyable rhythm
  • verb To cut a groove or channel in; to form into channels or grooves; to furrow.
  • verb To create, dance to, or enjoy rhythmic music.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (anatomy) any furrow or channel on a bodily structure or part
  • verb hollow out in the form of a furrow or groove
  • noun a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)
  • verb make a groove in, or provide with a groove
  • noun a settled and monotonous routine that is hard to escape

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English groof, mining shaft, probably from Middle Dutch groeve, ditch; see ghrebh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English groof, grofe ("mining shart"), from Old English *grōf ("trench, furrow, something dug"), from Proto-Germanic *grōbō (“groove, furrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrebh- (“to dig, scrape, bury”). Cognate with Dutch groef, groeve ("groove; pit, grave"), German Grube ("ditch, pit"), Norwegian grov ("brook, riverbed"), Old English grafan ("to dig"). More at grave.

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Examples

  • On each side of this surface is to be seen a distinct groove, the _preplantar groove_, or _preplantar fissure_, which, commencing behind, between the basilar and retrossal processes, runs horizontally forwards from the angles or wings of the bone, and terminates anteriorly in one of the larger foraminæ.

    Diseases of the Horse's Foot Harry Caulton Reeks

  • Because a groove is a terrible thing to waste, this sonic learning institution will be unlike anything before, as Professor Collins and the finest bassists in music will unleash an intense curriculum, on the web, for intermediate to advanced funk disciples within the program.

    Bootsy Collins Launches World’s First Online “University Of Funk” | Impact Lab 2010

  • Well, apart from being half-dead this morning, I think I'm starting to get back into the "early-risin '" groove, which is prolly a good thing.

    Morning, Such As It Is cheshie 2002

  • Even when the groove is dead and gone, you know that love survives.

    fourfour: 2009

  • Even when the groove is dead and gone, you know that love survives.

    We can rock forever 2009

  • Finding the groove is what one wants – a way of making poems on a schedule that matches the regular announcements of faculty accomplishments.

    David Orr | clusterflock 2009

  • Leverage bits have shanks coming off the mouthpiece to create leverage that applies pressure to the poll, chin groove and mouth of the horse are in the category of curb bits.

    Understanding English Bits « Articles « Literacy News 2009

  • ` ` I always say the best way to get in a groove is to play, even when things are not going well. ''

    USATODAY.com 2008

  • Good times and it keeps us in groove for action shooting.

    Feathers vs Clay 2008

  • I checked the newscritics comments on the launch of Season 2 - reminds me of the "love to hate" stuff with Studio 60, but in anemic numbers and fewer words, so maybe the fun of that groove is wearing off.

    Tin Boxes 2008

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