Groove

Groove is a long narrow cut, channel, or furrow in a surface, or a recess created to guide or hold another part. It is used in mechanical engineering to refer to a slot cut into a part to accept a corresponding element, such as a dovetail groove, a keyway on a shaft, or a track on a sliding component. Grooves can be produced by milling, broaching, or cutting and may be used to align, locate, secure, or guide components, to accommodate seals or o-rings in a groove on a piston, or to house wires in a cable channel.

In music, groove denotes a sense of rhythmic feel or swing that makes a performance feel cohesive and danceable. It arises from the interaction of tempo, subdivisions, accent patterns, and timing nuance among performers, and is central to many styles such as funk, soul, disco, and hip-hop. The term is sometimes used more broadly to describe a particular rhythm section or arrangement's ability to "lock in."

In vinyl records, grooves are spiral depressions on the disc surface that encode audio information; the stylus reads pitch and amplitude variations from the groove walls.

In everyday usage, to groove means to experience or create a smooth, steady, and enjoyable flow of activity or music, as in "get into the groove."