Where did the term hipster originate from?

Answer 1

There are varying views on the origins of "Hip" from which the term "hipster" originates. From an etymological dictionary one finds: "informed," 1904, apparently originally in black slang, probably a variant of hep, with which it is identical in sense, though it is recorded four years earlier. Author John Leland wrote an entire book on the subject "Hip: The History" which points to the African Wolof language as the source, though this has been questioned as well.

Another disputed theory of the origin is that the terms "hip", "hipster" and "hippie" are said to have originated in the opium dens that were extremely popular from the beginning of the 20th century and lasted until the late 1960s. Regular patrons at opium dens were nicknamed "hipsters" because they spent much of their time reclining on their hips, as it was a traditional practice to recline against a pillow or lay down while smoking opium. Opium dens are usually associated with druggists, but on the contrary they were [for a time] frequented by all walks of life, and for a time they were very popular among wealthy aristocrats. After some years, the terms began to be widely used to describe anyone who was a part the drug culture, even if they didn't smoke opium. Today, opium dens are all but extinct, but the terms "hipster", "hippie", and "hip" are still widely used in American English to describe people who are privvy to or part of the popular culture, counterculture, or the drug culture.