ländler

American  

[lent-ler] / ˈlɛnt lər /

noun

plural

ländler, ländlers

1. an Austrian and southern German folk dance in moderately slow triple meter, antecedent to the waltz.

2. music for this dance.

3. a piano or orchestral composition patterned after such music.

---

ländler British  

/ ˈlɛntlər /

noun

1. an Austrian country dance in which couples spin and clap

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, in three-four time

---

Etymology

Origin of ländler

1875–80; < German: literally, something connected with Landl (literally, little land) name for Upper Austria, where the dance first became popular; -er ¹

Example Sentences

In the second movement, bouncing up and down at the knees and making smiling cues with a flared left hand, Dudamel led a ländler dance that was more sweetly rustic than ominously rough.

From New York Times • May 20, 2023

This was deliberate, spaciously paced Mahler, lilting but never too sweet in its ländler second movement, its third-movement danse macabre as haunting as ever.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2022