passepied

American

[pahs-pyay] / pɑsˈpjeɪ /

noun

a lively dance in triple meter popular in France in the 17th and 18th centuries.
a dance form in moderately fast 3/8 or 3/4 meter, occasionally constituting part of the 17th- and 18th-century instrumental suite.

passepied British

/ pɑːsˈpjeɪ /

noun

a lively minuet of Breton origin, in triple time, popular in the 17th century
a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

passepieds

plural

Etymology

Origin of passepied

1685–95; < French: literally, pass (the) foot, i.e., move it, dance. See pass, -ped

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

passepieds

At the same time he made sarabandes, gavottes, minuets, chaconnes, passepieds, gigues, polonaises and rondos dance across the piano in quick succession; and his comments were as spirited as his playing.

From Edward MacDowell by Lawrence Gilman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023