gigue

[ zheeg ]

/ ʒig /

noun

Dance. jig²(def 1).

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

Nearby words

giglet, gigli, gigo, gigolo, gigot, gigue, gijón, gil, gil blas, gila, gila monster

Origin of gigue

1675–85; < French, probably < English jig²

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

Examples from the Web for gigue

The sonata commenced in D minor; in the Gigue there was constant modulation towards G minor.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The adagio is a sarabande, and the last movement has the characteristics of the gigue.
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 last movement, still in the same key, is a gigue, thus keeping well in the shadow of the suite.
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