cotillion

Meaning

Noun

1. A bold dance performed in groups of eight where women lift their skirts to display their ankles.
2. The music regulating the cotillion.
3. (US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of cotillion ball, a coming-of-age party meant to present girls newly transitioned into womanhood to the community for courtship.
4. A kind of woollen material for women's skirts.

Verb

To dance the cotillion.

Synonyms

cotilion

choir

chorus

dance

💃

shindig

dancing

Translations

Kotillon

cotillón

🥳

Figurentanz

χορός

κοτίλιο

cotillon

kadril tipinde dans

كوتيلون

kotilyon dansı

cotilló

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kəʊtɪlˈjɒ̃/

Etymology

Circa 1750, in the sense of the dance, from French cotillon (“petticoat”), extended to the dance because of the distinctive lift of dress revealing the petticoat, from cotte (“dress”) + -illon (diminutive). Said to derive from the then-popular song Ma commère, quand je danse, mon cotillion va-t-il bien.