lancers

[ lan-serz, lahn- ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

1. a set of quadrilles danced in sequence.
2. music for such a set of dances.

lancers

/ ˈlɑːnsəz /

noun

1. a quadrille for eight or sixteen couples
2. a piece of music composed for this dance

Word History and Origins

Origin of lancers¹

First recorded in 1860–65; plural of lancer

Example Sentences

In Afghanistan, virus lockdowns have created acute shortages of lancers — the specialized workers, many from neighboring Pakistan, who cut the seedpods of mature poppies to produce heroin.

From Washington Post

Once a company of lancers appeared, but they turned southward.

From Literature

When President Xi Jinping of China arrived in India a year ago for a visit, he was welcomed at each stop by gleaming military honor guards, including a row of turbaned cavalry lancers on horseback.

From New York Times

Facebook Twitter Pinterest In Tordesillas, Castile and León, hundreds of lancers and riders chase a bull around a closed field until the animal is stabbed to death.

From The Guardian

Economic sanctions are to modern statecraft what mounted lancers were to war in the trenches: magnificent but useless.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• squadron