cotillion
Americannoun
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a formal ball given especially for debutantes.
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a lively French social dance originating in the 18th century, consisting of a variety of steps and figures and performed by couples.
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any of various dances resembling the quadrille.
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music arranged or played for these dances.
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a formalized dance for a large number of people, in which a head couple leads the other dancers through elaborate and stately figures.
noun
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a French formation dance of the 18th century
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a quadrille
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a complicated dance with frequent changes of partners
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a formal ball, esp one at which debutantes are presented
Etymology
Origin of cotillion
1760–70; < French cotillon kind of dance, in Old French: petticoat, equivalent to cote coat + -illon diminutive suffix
Explanation
A cotillion is either a dance that originated in France in the 18th century or a ball where debutantes are presented. The earliest sense of this word goes back to France and the 1700's: this cotillion was a dance with complicated steps and movements. This was a quick, lively sort of dance that must have been a lot of fun back in the day. More recently, a cotillion became the name of a ball (dance event) in the United States. Debutantes — young society ladies — are presented at cotillions. So when you think of cotillions, think of fancy-schmancy dances and high society.
Vocabulary lists containing cotillion
Tears of a Tiger
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The Unteachables
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Why We Fly
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pink was the color of the gown she was wearing when she died in a buggy crash coming home from a cotillion.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2024
The enterprising president of the Harriet Holland Social Club just wants the cotillion to be successful.
From New York Times • May 12, 2023
He continued: "Cohen's modus operandi seems to be trying to embarrass and shock southern conservative audiences on film. Of course our cotillion friends, having been hoo-dooed into hosting the charade, were humiliated and apologetic."
From Salon • Oct. 27, 2020
I even signed him up for cotillion last spring, and he did great!
From Slate • May 28, 2020
I attended a cotillion last night at the palace.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
