Meaning & use
Hootenanny
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An informal gathering featuring folk music, often with audience participation.
See it in a sentence
The town square hosted a hootenanny every summer evening with local musicians.
They ended the festival with a rousing hootenanny around the campfire.
A note on using this word
Hootenanny entered American English in the early 20th century as a folksy substitute word, much like "gadget" or "thingamajig," before becoming specifically associated with folk-music gatherings in the 1940s.
Words with a similar meaning
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