ragtime

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: rag=time

CIDE DICTIONARY

ragtime, n. 

 a rhythm with a regular accompaniment in two-four time and a melody characterized by syncopation, first recognized in many negro melodies; also a style of American music in this rhythm.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ragtime, n. & adj.
--n. music characterized by a syncopated melodic line and regularly-accented accompaniment, evolved by American Black musicians in the 1890s and played esp. on the piano.
--adj. sl. disorderly, disreputable, inferior (a ragtime army).

Etymology

prob. f. RAG(4)

THESAURUS

ragtime

acid rock, andante tempo, avant-garde jazz, ballroom music, beat, bebop, boogie-woogie, bop, compound time, country rock, dance music, dances, duple time, folk rock, hard rock, hot, hot jazz, jazz, jazzed up, jazzy, jive, largo, mainstream jazz, march tempo, mixed times, musical suite, presto, rag, ragtimey, rhythm-and-blues, rock, rock-and-roll, rubato, sextuple time, simple time, suite, suite of dances, swing, swingy, syncopated, syncopated music, syncopation, syncope, tempo, tempo rubato, the new music, three-quarter time, time, time pattern, timing, triple time, triplet, two-four time, waltz time