Definitions

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

  • noun A dance of Argentine origin for couples in 2/4 or 4/4 time.
  • noun The music for this dance.
  • intransitive verb To perform this dance.

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

  • noun A difficult dance in two-four time characterized by graceful posturing, frequent pointing positions, and a great variety of steps, including the cross step and turning steps. The dance is of Spanish origin, and is believed to have been in its original form a part of the fandango.
  • noun Any of various popular forms derived from this.
  • noun a musical tune appropriate for this dance.

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

  • noun A Standard ballroom dance in 4/4 time; or a social dance, the Argentine tango.
  • noun The letter T in the ICAO spelling alphabet.
  • noun slang enemy, used amongst special police forces, derived from the abbreviation of target using the NATO phonetic alphabet.
  • noun A dark orange colour shade; deep tangerine
  • verb To dance the tango.
  • verb slang To handle, to flirt with, to deal with.

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

  • verb dance a tango
  • noun music written in duple time for dancing the tango
  • noun a ballroom dance of Latin-American origin

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[American Spanish, possibly of Niger-Congo origin; akin to Ibibio tamgu, to dance.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Argentine-Spanish tango, probably from a Niger-Congo language (compare Ibibio tamgu ("to dance")).

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Examples

  • I began ballroom dance lessons three years ago and the tango is my favorite, especially the Argentine.

    gens du voyage - French Word-A-Day 2009

  • For the characters who decamp from there to South America and for their descendants who later make the return trip, the tango is a leitmotif.

    Cover to Cover 2008

  • For the characters who decamp from there to South America and for their descendants who later make the return trip, the tango is a leitmotif.

    Cover to Cover 2008

  • The reptile and the male began to dance a certain Latin tango ...

    The Perfidy Peckers 2010

  • The picture has a lush look but sees no need to be epic in scope; the group dance scene with the tango is just as 'alive' as anything in a Visconti movie.

    GreenCine Daily: DVDs, 12/17. 2006

  • Argentine tango is quite different from the ballroom-style tango I have been learning, but the idea of lead – follow is the same, regardless.

    Lead, Follow, or Don't Dance 2005

  • Argentine tango is quite different from the ballroom-style tango I have been learning, but the idea of lead – follow is the same, regardless.

    Archive 2005-11-01 2005

  • Flowers and a drawing decorate a makeshift memorial to Latin American tango icon Carlos Gardel, at his tomb on the 75th the anniversary of his death, in Buenos Aires,

    TheState.com: Homepage 2010

  • Admirers of Latin American tango icon Carlos Gardel pay homage to the Latin

    TheState.com: Homepage 2010

  • Admirers of Latin American tango icon Carlos Gardel pay homage at his tomb on the 75th the anniversary of his death, in Buenos Aires, Thursday, June 24, 2010.

    TheState.com: Homepage 2010

Comments

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  • You think I could omit this from my Buenos Aires list?

    Not just a member of the phonetic alphabet. So much more than that.

    August 14, 2008

  • colores del tango

    August 22, 2008

  • Wow! Beautiful photos, sionnach!

    August 22, 2008