entry
vibe
/vaɪb/A distinctive feeling, mood, or atmosphere
From English vibe (A clipping of vibraphone and).
Word Ancestry
The word began with something you could actually hear: in 1940, vibe was American shorthand for vibraphone, the metal-bar instrument whose notes shimmer through a room. Then the 1960s supplied a second, more psychological meaning, shortening vibration to vibes—an instinctive tremor or feeling you sensed before you could explain it. That shift turned physical movement into social weather: a person, party, or place could give off good or bad vibes. By the time “I’m vibing with her” became ordinary speech, the instrument had practically disappeared, leaving behind its invisible aftershock. So when you trust the feeling in a room, you are—linguistically speaking—listening for a vibration that no instrument is playing.
The Story
The word began with something you could actually hear: in 1940, vibe was American shorthand for vibraphone, the metal-bar instrument whose notes shimmer through a room. Then the 1960s supplied a second, more psychological meaning, shortening vibration to vibes—an instinctive tremor or feeling you sensed before you could explain it. That shift turned physical movement into social weather: a person, party, or place could give off good or bad vibes. By the time “I’m vibing with her” became ordinary speech, the instrument had practically disappeared, leaving behind its invisible aftershock. So when you trust the feeling in a room, you are—linguistically speaking—listening for a vibration that no instrument is playing.
Modern Usage
To chill, relax, agree, or get along; also to sense a mood or feeling
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries for “vibe” and “vibes”
Kin & Kindred
From 'vibe'·A clipping of vibraphone and, later, vibration
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary