minuet

[ min-yoo-et ]

noun

1. a slow, stately dance in triple meter, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.
2. a piece of music for such a dance or in its rhythm.

minuet

/ ˌmɪnjʊˈɛt /

noun

1. a stately court dance of the 17th and 18th centuries in triple time
2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, sometimes as a movement in a suite, sonata, or symphony See also scherzo

Word History and Origins

Origin of minuet¹

1665–75; < French menuet, equivalent to menu small ( menu ) + -et -et; so called from the shortness of the dancers' steps

Word History and Origins

Origin of minuet¹

C17: from French menuet dainty (referring to the dance steps), from menu small

Example Sentences

He “had a fine clear voice” and sang minuets and such and “fiddled in the parlor.”

From Literature

One such sequence passed through the breakneck minuet of the 19th, the controlled delirium of the 20th and the clean, shiny descents of the 23rd to culminate in the famous 25th, the so-called black pearl.

From New York Times

From there, variations surface with nods to Classical and Baroque forms: a dancerly minuet or rondo, a concerto grosso of angular strings, a wandering ricercare.

From New York Times

He has discontinued the elbowing, apparently, while sustaining that courtside calm, still looking out there with fascination at the same minuet after 52 years of coaching.

From Washington Post

Boeing has agreed to improve its Remote Vision System, 3D cameras that feed a console where an airman guides a refueling boom during a midair minuet to connect with another plane.

From Seattle Times