Question: where did the term dada come from and what does it mean

title: Dada
text: Like Zürich , New York City was a refuge for writers and artists from the First World War . Soon after arriving from France in 1915 , Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia met American artist Man Ray . By 1916 the three of them became the center of radical anti-art activities in the United States . American Beatrice Wood , who had been studying in France , soon joined them , along with Elsa von Freytag - Loringhoven . Arthur Cravan , fleeing conscription in France , was also in New York for a time . Much of their activity centered in Alfred Stieglitz 's gallery , 291 , and the home of Walter and Louise Arensberg .