Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).</ref>Another word that has been contributed by AAVE is dope, which has had multiple changes of meaning throughout the history of its existence. The meaning of the word that is often overlooked by current generations is: A stupid person. The youngest of Snow White's seven dwarves was famously named "dopey" back in 1850, and while he was never explicitly portrayed as stupid, he never voiced his intelligence levels.

The word dope can also refer to narcotics such as Heroin. Many assume that there is some sort of connection between the words "dope" and "dopamine", however, that is pure coincidence. Toward the end of the 19th century, the word was used to describe thick pastes such as face creams and insect repellants. Opium was dubbed dope in the 1880s as it is also a thick paste.^[1] And thus began the usage of "dope" in regard to drugs. Another usage of the word in this context includes "doped", which was used to describe someone who is drugged out. ^[2]

Over the decades, "dope" has undergone major semantic shifts. Today, dope is mostly known to describe something that is excellent or very good. People use the word to express admiration or approval for music, clothing, art, performances, or even ideas. ^[3]