snake-dance

[sneyk-dans, -dahns]

verb (used without object), snake-danced, snake-danc·ing.

to perform a snake dance.

Origin of snake-dance

First recorded in 1880–85

snake dance

noun

a ceremonial dance of the American Indian in which snakes or representations of snakes are handled or imitated by the dancers.

a parade or procession, especially in celebration of a sports victory, in which the participants weave in single file in a serpentine course.

Origin of snake dance

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for snake-dance

Historical Examples of snake-dance

Remember the sacred bull of Egypt and the snake-dance of the Hopi.
The Tyranny of the Dark
Hamlin Garland
The snake-dance itself took place in the afternoon at five o'clock.
A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open
Theodore Roosevelt
Among those at the snake-dance was a Franciscan priest, who has done much good work on the Navajo reservation.
A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open
Theodore Roosevelt
He said sneeringly that Maskelyne and Cooke in music had come to life, and suggested a snake-dance.
Pierre And His People, [Tales of the Far North], Complete
Gilbert Parker
There was, when last presented, no special dress adopted for the snake-dance, and the horn rattle is used also in other dances.
Contribution to Passamaquoddy Folk-Lore
J. Walter Fewkes

British Dictionary definitions for snake-dance

snake dance

noun

a ceremonial dance, performed by the priests of the American Hopi Indians, in which live snakes are held in the mouth

the swaying movements of snakes responding to a snake charmer
a Hindu dance in which performers imitate such snake movements

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