slack-key

[ slak-kee ]

noun

1. a style of Hawaiian popular music played on an acoustic guitar with strings tuned to notes lower than standard guitar tuning for more bass resonance.

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to this style of music.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slack-key¹

First recorded in 1975–80; slack ¹( def ) (in the sense “loose, not taut”) + key ¹( def ); translation of Hawaiian kī hō‘alu, equivalent to kī “key” + hō‘alu “slack”