courante

[ koo-rahnt; French koo-rahnt ]

/ kʊˈrɑnt; French kuˈrɑ̃t /

noun, plural cou·rantes [koo-rahnts; French koo-rahnt] /kʊˈrɑnts; French kuˈrɑ̃t/.

a dance dating back to the 17th century and characterized by a running or gliding step.

a piece of music for or suited to this dance.

Music. a movement following the allemande in the classical suite.

Nearby words

coupé, courage, courage of one's convictions, have the, courageous, courant, courante, courantyne, courbaril, courbet, courbevoie, coureur de bois

Also courant.

Origin of courante

1580–90; < Middle French; literally, running, feminine present participle of courir to run; cf. current

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for courante

After the Pavane came the Courante, a court dance performed on tiptoe with slightly jumping steps and many bows and curtseys.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various
A French courante differed from the Italian, and certain dances were taken at different tempi in different countries.
Critical & Historical Essays|Edward MacDowell
The Courante is one of the most important of the strictly modern dances.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various
It was originally a branle of Poitou, derived from the Courante.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various

That thought had been growing, and the gavotte, the courante, the pavane becoming rehearsals.
The Confounding of Camelia|Anne Douglas Sedgwick

British Dictionary definitions for courante

courante

/ (kʊˈrɑːnt) /

noun music

an old dance in quick triple time

a movement of a (mostly) 16th- to 18th-century suite based on this

Also called (esp for the dance): coranto

Word Origin for courante

C16: from French, literally: running, feminine of courant, present participle of courir to run, from Latin currere

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