Dauncer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling for someone who performs rhythmic steps and movements, usually to music, for pleasure or in a show
2. An old form of the word for a person who moves the body rhythmically in step with music or a set pattern
3. A obsolete variant meaning a performer who steps and sways in time to music, as in a ball, festival or stage act

Etymology: "Dauncer" is an archaic spelling of "dancer," formed from "daunce," an older form of "dance," with the suffix "-er" added to name the person who performs the action. The pattern is simple: a verb plus "-er" produces a word for one who does that thing, as with "baker" or "singer." The spelling "daunce" reflects how "dance" was written in Middle English, when the vowel sound was spelled differently from its modern form. Over the following centuries, English spelling was standardized and "dancer" settled into the form used today.