gigue

[ zheeg ]

/ ʒig /

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noun

Dance. jig² (def. 1).

Music. a dance movement often forming the conclusion of the classical suite.

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Origin of gigue

1675–85; <French, probably <English jig²

Words nearby gigue

Gigli, gig mill, GIGO, gigolo, gigot, gigue, GI Joe, Gijón, Gil, Gila, Gila monster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use gigue in a sentence

It is in imitation of a national song, and is sometimes like a slow gigue, sometimes like a pastorale.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
The sonata commenced in D minor; in the Gigue there was constant modulation towards G minor.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The last movement, still in the same key, is a gigue, thus keeping well in the shadow of the suite.
Critical & Historical Essays|Edward MacDowell
The last of the particularly characteristic dances is the Gigue with its counterparts mentioned above.
Music: An Art and a Language|Walter Raymond Spalding

The adagio is a sarabande, and the last movement has the characteristics of the gigue.
Critical & Historical Essays|Edward MacDowell

British Dictionary definitions for gigue

gigue

/ (ʒiːɡ) /

noun

a piece of music, usually in six-eight time and often fugal, incorporated into the classical suite

a formal couple dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, derived from the jig

Word Origin for gigue

C17: from French, from Italian giga, literally: a fiddle; see gigot

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