Before TikTok said “slay,” before your uncle said “rad,” and way before anyone typed “kewl” unironically, there was one word quietly running the show: cool.

This video breaks down how cool didn’t just survive every slang extinction event, it thrived. From Beowulf to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from jazz clubs to modern memes, this word just refused to go out of style. Meanwhile, words like “groovy,” “fresh,” and “swell” are basically fossilized cringe.

Turns out, cool works because it does everything. It’s approval, attitude, a vibe, a personality, and sometimes just a response when you don’t feel like typing a full sentence.

Also, fun fact: its rise is deeply tied to African American culture and jazz, meaning every time you say “cool,” you’re casually echoing over a century of cultural influence.

So yeah, after all that history, linguistic evolution, and cultural dominance, we can confidently say:

Cool is still cool.

[Via Neatorama]