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polka
[ pohl-kuh, poh-kuh ]
/ ˈpoʊl kə, ˈpoʊ kə /
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noun, plural pol·kas.
a lively couple dance of Bohemian origin, with music in duple meter.
a piece of music for such a dance or in its rhythm.
verb (used without object), pol·kaed, pol·ka·ing.
to dance the polka.
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Origin of polka
1835–45; <Czech: literally, Polish woman or girl; compare Polish polka Polish woman, polak Pole
Words nearby polka
politics, Politics makes strange bedfellows, polity, polje, Polk, polka, polka dot, Polk, James K., poll, pollack, Pollaiuolo
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use polka in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for polka
polka
/ (ˈpɒlkə) /
noun plural -kas
a 19th-century Bohemian dance with three steps and a hop, in fast duple time
a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
verb -kas, -kaing or -kaed
(intr) to dance a polka
Word Origin for polka
C19: via French from Czech pulka half-step, from pul half
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
Cultural definitions for polka
polka
A lively dance for couples, originating in eastern Europe.
notes for polka
Johann Strauss, the Younger wrote many polkas.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.