dance

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See also: Dance and dancé

English

A man and woman dancing.

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English dauncen, daunsen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman dauncer, dancer (“to dance”) (compare Old French dancier), from Frankish *dansōn (“to draw, pull, stretch out, gesture”) (compare Old High German dansōn (“to draw, pull”)), from Proto-Germanic *þansōną, from *þinsaną (“to draw, pull”). More at thin.

Pronunciation

Noun

dance (countable and uncountable, plural dances)

  1. A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction.
    • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt
      "I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don't adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places. […]"
  2. A social gathering where dancing is the main activity.
    • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt
      "I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don't adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places. […]"
  3. (heraldry) A normally horizontal stripe called a fess that has been modified to zig-zag across the center of a coat of arms from dexter to sinister.
  4. A genre of modern music characterised by sampled beats, repetitive rhythms and few lyrics.
  5. (uncountable) The art, profession, and study of dancing.
  6. A piece of music with a particular dance rhythm.[1]
    • Template:RQ:Mrxl SqrsDghtr
      They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups.
  7. (figurative) A battle of wits, especially one commonly fought between two rivals.
    So how much longer are we gonna do this dance?

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from dance (noun)

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Translations

Verb

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  1. (intransitive) To move with rhythmic steps or movements, especially in time to music.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.
    I danced with her all night long.
  2. (intransitive) To leap or move lightly and rapidly.
    His eyes danced with pleasure as he spoke.   She accused her political opponent of dancing around the issue instead of confronting it.
    • (Can we date this quote by Byron and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Shadows in the glassy waters dance.
  3. (transitive) To perform the steps to.
    Have you ever danced the tango?
  4. (transitive) To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about.
  5. (figurative, euphemistic) To make love or have sex.
    You make me feel like dancing.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Scottish Gaelic: danns
  • → Zulu: dansa

Translations

See also

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References

  1. ^ John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “dance”, in The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, volumes I (A–O), Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1991, →ISBN, page 387.

Further reading

Anagrams

French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] English dance.

Pronunciation

Noun

dance f (uncountable)

  1. dance music

Galician

Verb

dance

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of danzar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of danzar

Middle French

Etymology

Old French dance.

Noun

dance f (plural dances)

  1. dance

Descendants

Old French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language code; the value "gem" is not valid. See WT:LOL., see English dance, French danse

Noun

dance oblique singular, f (oblique plural dances, nominative singular dance, nominative plural dances)

  1. dance

Portuguese

Pronunciation

Verb

dance

  1. Template:pt-verb-form-of

References

Spanish

Pronunciation

Verb

dance

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of danzar.
  2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of danzar.
  3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of danzar.
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