Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Mid-century: TV and science ·1969
Jazzercise
jazz exercise
- Meaning
- Dance fitness classes combining jazz dance with aerobic exercise.
- Source words
- jazz + exercise
- Coined by
- Judi Sheppard Missett
- Year
- 1969
Background
Missett, a Chicago dance instructor, built the brand from a single class she taught in 1969 into a worldwide franchise. The word survives the dated 1980s leg-warmer aesthetic; the company is still operating.
Mid-century: TV and science
Two engines dominated: television (sitcom, televangelist) and post-war big science (pulsar, transistor). Many mid-century coinages came from scientific style sheets and industry journals.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.