polonaise
- a slow dance of Polish origin, in triple meter, consisting chiefly of a march or promenade in couples.
- a piece of music for, or in the rhythm of, such a dance.
- Also pol·o·nese [pol-uh-neez, -nees, poh-luh-] /ˌpɒl əˈniz, -ˈnis, ˌpoʊ lə-/. a coatlike outer dress, combining bodice and cutaway overskirt, worn in the late 18th century over a separate skirt.
Origin of polonaise
Examples from the Web for polonaise
Historical Examples of polonaise
The Crown Prince was so kind as to walk the Polonaise with her.
Vivian GreyEarl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
A quarter of an hour after my arrival, the ball began with a polonaise.
The Memoires of Casanova, CompleteJacques Casanova de Seingalt
The Polonaise ended the ball, and my mother sent us all off to sleep.
The men began to choose partners and take their places for the polonaise.
War and PeaceLeo Tolstoy
This polonaise appears as op. 71 in the collection of posthumous works.
Frederic Chopin, v. 1 (of 2)Moritz Karasowski
polonaise
- a ceremonial marchlike dance in three-four time from Poland
- a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
- a woman's costume with a tight bodice and an overskirt drawn back to show a decorative underskirt
Word Origin for polonaise
Word Origin and History for polonaise
1773, "woman's overdress" (from fancied resemblance to Polish costume); 1797, "stately dance," from French (danse) polonaise "a Polish (dance)," fem. of polonais (adj.) "Polish," from Pologne "Poland," from Medieval Latin Polonia "Poland" (see Poland). In the culinary sense, applied to dishes supposed to be cooked in Polish style, attested from 1889.