gavotte

American  

[guh-vot] / gəˈvɒt /

Or gavot

noun

1. an old French dance in moderately quick quadruple meter.

2. a piece of music for, or in the rhythm of, this dance, often forming one of the movements in the classical suite, usually following the saraband.

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gavotte British  

/ ɡəˈvɒt /

noun

1. an old formal dance in quadruple time

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

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Etymology

Origin of gavotte

1690–1700; < French < Provençal gavoto a mountaineer of Provence, a dance of such mountaineers, apparently derivative of gava bird's crop (probably < pre-Latin *gaba throat, crop, goiter), alluding to the prevalence of goiter among the mountaineers

Example Sentences

The music of the party scene, with its playful marches and stately gavotte, is pleasant and lovely, but the real joy of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” doesn’t begin until Clara goes to bed.

From Seattle Times

The dance was a gavotte, too spirited for talk.

From Literature

And he cast a ball scene in Act I as a gavotte, a popular dance form in the colonies.

From New York Times

Inside, the building is an intricate gavotte of interlocked functions and juxtaposed ramps and balconies.

From New York Times

The pizzicato reprise of the first gavotte would certainly have shocked Bach, but the effect of a large lute is charming.

From Washington Post