groove

Etymology

From Middle English grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), from Old English grōf (“trench, furrow, something dug”), from Proto-West Germanic *grōbu, 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”), Serbo-Croatian grèbati (“scratch, dig”). Directly descended from Old English grafan (“to dig”). More at grave.

noun

1. 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.
2. A fixed routine.
   The gregarious trifling of life in the social groove. 1873, John Morley, Rousseau
   His counterpart Neil Warnock got his tactics spot on as Chelsea struggled to get into any sort of groove in the first half. October 23, 2011, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport
3. The middle of the strike zone in baseball where a pitch is most easily hit.
4. (music) A pronounced, enjoyable rhythm.
   Now, what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat / And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet 1979, “Rapper's Delight”, performed by The Sugarhill Gang
   Let the music play / He won't get away / This groove he can't ignore 1983, Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm (lyrics and music), “Let the Music Play”, performed by Shannon
   Get into the groove / Boy, you've got to prove / Your love to me / Get up on your feet / Yeah, step to the beat 1985, Stephen Bray, Madonna (lyrics and music), “Into the Groove”, in Like a Virgin, performed by Madonna
5. (dated, informal) A good feeling (often as in the groove).
   How could he be expected to make music that put the audience in a groove, he reasoned, if he wasn't grooving himself? 2010, Jan Reid, Shawn Sahm, Texas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug Sahm, page 57
6. (mining) A shaft or excavation.
7. (motor racing) A racing line, a path across the racing circuit's surface that a racecar will usually track on. (Note: There may be multiple grooves on any particular circuit or segment of circuit)

verb

1. (transitive) To cut a groove or channel in; to form into channels or grooves; to furrow.
2. (intransitive) To perform, dance to, or enjoy rhythmic music.
   I was just starting to groove to the band when we had to leave.