Bourree

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lively French dance in duple meter, characterized by quick steps and often performed in a circle
2. A type of dance originating from France, typically marked by a moderate tempo and involving a playful style
3. A musical form often associated with the Baroque period, typically written in 4/4 time, sometimes used as a dance accompaniment

Etymology: The word "bourrée" comes from Occitan "borrèia," a term for a rustic dance tied to the Auvergne region of south-central France, and it reached French and then English through the courtly world of Baroque music. Its name is linked to "bourre," meaning a coarse wool or stuffing, though the exact connection between the fabric and the dance is uncertain; one proposal is that the name refers to the rough, rustic character of the peasant dance it describes. Its real story moved from the countryside into the ballroom. In the 17th century, the bourrée was adopted at the court of Louis XIV, where dancers performed it with a characteristic pattern of quick, small steps. Composers such as Lully and later Bach wrote bourrées as stylized movements within dance suites, so the English musical term entered the language through these court and concert forms, not through the folk dance itself.

Synonyms: dance, step, movement