polonaise

American  

[pol-uh-nayz, poh-luh-] / ˌpɒl əˈneɪz, ˌpoʊ lə- /

noun

1. a slow dance of Polish origin, in triple meter, consisting chiefly of a march or promenade in couples.

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

3. Also polonese a coatlike outer dress, combining bodice and cutaway overskirt, worn in the late 18th century over a separate skirt.

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polonaise British  

/ ˌpɒləˈneɪz /

noun

1. a ceremonial marchlike dance in three-four time from Poland

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

3. a woman's costume with a tight bodice and an overskirt drawn back to show a decorative underskirt

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Etymology

Origin of polonaise

1765–75; < French, feminine of polonais Polish, equivalent to Polon- (< Medieval Latin Polonia Poland) + -ais -ese

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polonaise

The leader of the Lodz street dance, Janusz Wielgosz, who donned a historic outfit for the occasion, said the polonaise is about beauty.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2024

He exploited time signatures and forms; for “Night Music,” he wrote a waltz, two sarabandes, two mazurkas, a polonaise, an étude and a gigue — nearly an entire score written in permutations of triple time.

From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2021

Yang articulated Chopin’s “Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante” in gentle ripples that surged into grand waves of sound from the orchestra.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2021

Sibelius’ beloved concerto is not dance-based, although a critic once likened the last movement to a polonaise for polar bears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2018

Some of the music forms which he wrote are the nocturne, waltz, mazurka, impromptu, concerto, polonaise, etude.

From Chopin The Story of the Boy Who Made Beautiful Melodies by Thomas Tapper

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