The name 'Dada' originates from the Yoruba language, where it means 'curly hair'. In the context of the Dada art movement, the name is often associated with the movement's embrace of absurdity and irrationality, reflecting its anti-establishment and anti-art ethos. The movement's name is said to have been chosen randomly, possibly derived from the French word for 'hobby horse' or to evoke the first words of a child, symbolizing a return to a more primal, untainted state of creativity.