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branle

[ bran-l ]
/ ˈbræn l /

noun

a lively 16th- and 17th-century round dance originating in France.
the music for this dance.

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Origin of branle

1575–85; <Middle French, derivative of branler to shake, swing (probably from the phrase branler une danse), Old French bran(s)ler to move (a limb, the head), contraction of brandeler to shake, equivalent to brand(ir) to brandish + -eler suffix of expressive verbs <Vulgar Latin *-illāre

Words nearby branle

brangle, Brangus, Branhamella, brank, branks, branle, brannigan, branny, Branson, brant, Brantford
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for branle

British Dictionary definitions for branle

branle
/ (ˈbrænəl) /

noun

an old French country dance performed in a linked circle

Word Origin for branle

C17: from Old French branler to shake, variant of brandir to brandish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012