minuet

American  

[min-yoo-et] / ˌmɪn juˈɛt /

noun

1. a slow, stately dance in triple meter, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

2. a piece of music for such a dance or in its rhythm.

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minuet British  

/ ˌmɪnjʊˈɛt /

noun

1. a stately court dance of the 17th and 18th centuries in triple time

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, sometimes as a movement in a suite, sonata, or symphony See also scherzo

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Etymology

Origin of minuet

1665–75; < French menuet, equivalent to menu small ( see menu) + -et -et; so called from the shortness of the dancers' steps

Explanation

A minuet is a 17th-century court dance. It's also the music that goes with that dance. The minuet is a fancy, stately dance from the 17th century performed by members of a court. Two people dance a minuet, and it’s performed in triple time. Throughout 17th century Europe, the minuet was extremely popular. A minuet can also be the music that accompanied the dance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minuet

He has discontinued the elbowing, apparently, while sustaining that courtside calm, still looking out there with fascination at the same minuet after 52 years of coaching.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2023

Boeing has agreed to improve its Remote Vision System, 3D cameras that feed a console where an airman guides a refueling boom during a midair minuet to connect with another plane.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 2022

Eryn LeCroy makes of “He Plays the Violin” — a dainty minuet in which Martha Jefferson sings of her love for Thomas — a full-on psychodrama.

From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2022

The same might one day be said about Mr. Musk, though it sure would be fun to watch him break a horse or dance a minuet.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 28, 2022

This constant Victorian minuet of false grace consumed time.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson