lancers
Noun: 1. A type of quadrille dance: A specific, formal square dance for eight or sixteen couples, historically popular in the 19th century. It is characterized by its set sequence of figures and is traditionally performed to specific music. 2. (Historical) Soldiers armed with lances: While this is a distinct meaning of the word "lancer," the plural form "lancers" in the context of dance refers exclusively to the social dance, not the military unit.
- Noun (Dance):
- The ball's program included a waltz, a polka, and the lancers.
- Learning the figures of the lancers was an important part of a young lady's education in the Victorian era.
- They cleared the floor for the lancers, a dance requiring precise movement from many couples.
- The term is typically used with the definite article "the" when referring to the dance as a specific activity or piece of music: "Shall we dance the ?"
- It can function attributively to describe related things: "the figure," " music."
- Lancer (noun): A soldier of a cavalry regiment armed with a lance. (This is a separate word and concept from the dance).
- Quadrille (noun): A broader category of square dance for four couples; the is a specific type of quadrille.
- Country Dance / Contredanse (noun): The family of social dances from which quadrilles like the evolved.
- Quadrille (specifically, the is a type of quadrille)
- Formal dance
- Set dance
- Square dance (in a historical, ballroom context)
The word "lancers" has two primary, unrelated meanings. In a social or historical context, it almost always refers to the dance. The military meaning ("soldiers with lances") is a separate lexical entry and is not implied when discussing the dance. The dance is named after the military unit, likely due to the precision and formation required.
- a quadrille for 8 or 16 couples