pavane

American  

[puh-vahn, -van, pa-van] / pəˈvɑn, -ˈvæn, paˈvan /

Also pavan

noun

plural

pavanes

1. a stately dance dating from the 16th century.

2. the music for this dance.

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pavane British  

/ -ˈvæn, ˈpævən, pəˈvɑːn /

noun

1. a slow and stately dance of the 16th and 17th centuries

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, usually characterized by a slow stately triple time

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Etymology

Origin of pavane

1525–35; < Middle French < Italian pavana, contraction of padovana (feminine) of Padua ( Italian Padova )

Example Sentences

Still, there is that perfectly shaped pearl of a pavane that, throughout it all, stays in the memory.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2022

The trick is to listen closely to, say, a splendidly meandering Byrd pavane without the distracting frustration of fussing over what your ears miss, because you will miss much.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2021

It shows how the perfect union, represented by the courtly pavane and other Renaissance dances, can be ruptured by rumor.

From Washington Post

There is the grave pavane of the beruffled nudibranchs, tiny fish that swirl among moving fronds like bright dancers in an oriental court.

From Time Magazine Archive

The musicians started to play, and the dancers paired for a stately pavane.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein