pas de troisn.
/ˌpɑː də ˈtrwɑː/, /ˌpa də ˈtrwɑː/, U.S. /ˌpɑ də ˈt(r)wɑ/ Dance (esp. Ballet).
A dance for three people. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > dance for specific number of people > [noun]
pas de deux1762
pas de trois1762
pas seul1786
pas de quatre1846
pas de seul1870
twosome1911
ensemble1915
partner dance1915
foursome1926
1762 G.-A. Gallini Treat. Art of Dancing 280 A pas-de-trois or trio-dance follows.
1773 H. Walpole Let. 3 Apr. in Corr. (1965) XXXII. 116 Lord Delawar's two eldest daughters and the Ancaster infanta performed a pas de trois as well as Mlle Heinel.
1797 T. J. Mathias Pursuits of Lit.: Pt. IV p. ix Messrs. Fox, Sheridan, and Grey, are preparing a new Serious Divertissement, or Pas de Trois..called, ‘Le Directoire Executif’.
1823 T. Creevey Let. 14 Feb. in J. Gore Creevey Papers (1963) xi. 190 We went to our own playhouse, where we saw 1st a pas de trois between Wilson, Hobhouse and Canning, and then a pas de deux between Broughman and Canning.
1902–11 W. S. Gilbert Utopia, Limited ii, in Orig. Plays III. 444 As we've a dance for every mood With pas de trois we will conclude.
1960 A. Podhajsky Spanish Riding School of Vienna (new ed.) 40 The ‘Pas de Deux’ or ‘Pas de Trois’ demands perfectly trained horses which allow themselves to be led by the rider.
1977 D. Williams Treasure by Degrees vi. 55 The Dean's violent about-turn led him straight into the arms of Amelia Hatch... She, in turn, recoiled on to Witaker so that all three had momentarily become engaged in a curious pas de trois for ill-matched performers.
2003 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 25 Apr. d1 I put in a new pas de trois, a different version of the variation for Paquita.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1762