/ bluːz; NAmE / noun
1.
(often the blues ) [ U ] a type of slow sad music with strong rhythms, developed by African American musicians in the southern US :
a blues band / singer
2.
[ C ] ( pl. blues ) a blues song
3.
the blues [ pl. ] feelings of sadness :
the Monday morning blues
—see also baby blues
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent. (in sense 3): elliptically from blue devils depression or delirium tremens .