Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A folk dance of English origin in which two lines of dancers face each other.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A dance in which the partners are arranged opposite each other in lines, and dance in couples down the lines and back to their original places.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun See contradance.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A dance carried out in the countryside, or by country people; used as a generic name for many native British dances, especially where partners face each other in a long line.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a type of folk dance in which couples are arranged in sets or face one another in a line
  • verb perform a contradance

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From country + dance. Compare contre-dance.

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Examples

  • The "Una Schottische" was as vivid and lighthearted as the tunes of Oklahoma! almost a century later, and like that music possessed a charming country-dance or outdoor air; it was a work of happy enthusiasm that made it ideally suited for the band concerts that once accompanied ball games.

    Archive 2008-03-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • The "Una Schottische" was as vivid and lighthearted as the tunes of Oklahoma! almost a century later, and like that music possessed a charming country-dance or outdoor air; it was a work of happy enthusiasm that made it ideally suited for the band concerts that once accompanied ball games.

    Music of the Spheres Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • I remained silent and rebuked, she bowed her head more graciously, and said, ‘Not to affront you, however, a country-dance, if you please.’

    Redgauntlet 2008

  • The Aggie Wranglers, an American country-dance group in tight jeans, perform athletic down-home dances for the hundreds of assembled guests, eliciting whoops from the Texan visitors and bemused applause from the Arab hosts.

    Hillary Clinton, Stand Back 2007

  • I had the honour to dance a country-dance with the lady of Mount

    The Virginians 2006

  • Scully, trembling, thrust forward one of his huge kid-gloves, and led her to the head of the country-dance.

    The Bedford-Row Conspiracy 2006

  • Pursuant to the plan which they projected for this purpose, the first country-dance was no sooner concluded, than one of them, with his partner, took place of Peregrine and his mistress, contrary to the regulation of the ball.

    The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle 2004

  • Mary Burge by Adam; and now the music struck up, and the glorious country-dance, best of all dances, began.

    Adam Bede 2004

  • “You see that I am scarcely fit to lead off a country-dance with you,” said

    Mary Anerley Richard Doddridge 2004

  • And all the time, the charming little country-dance of the allegro vivace.

    The Captive 2003

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