courante

[ koo-rahnt; French koo-rahnt ]

/ kʊˈrɑnt; French kuˈrɑ̃t /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also courant.

Origin of courante

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

Words nearby courante

coup stick, courage, courage of one's convictions, have the, courageous, courant, courante, Courantyne, courbaril, Courbet, Courbevoie, coureur de bois

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use courante in a sentence

A French courante differed from the Italian, and certain dances were taken at different tempi in different countries.
Critical & Historical Essays|Edward MacDowell
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
During this time also the ceremonial ball (with all its elaborate detail of courante, minuet and saraband) was cultivated.
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

Courante′, Courant′, an old dance with a kind of gliding step.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various

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