Illustration of polonaise
- polonaise 1
polonaise
noun
po·lo·naise ˌpä-lə-ˈnāz 
ˌpō-
1
: an elaborate short-sleeved overdress with a fitted waist and a draped cutaway overskirt
2
a
: a stately Polish processional dance popular in 19th century Europe
b
: music for this dance in moderate ³/₄ time
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The declamations at the opening of the polonaise were a perfect opportunity to highlight the clarion strength and precision of the brass. 
Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 And the Boston Ballet Orchestra, under music director Mischa Santora, gave an easy lilt to the proceedings, particularly the first-act waltz and polonaise. Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2022 By 1894, Favre recognizes that the Tartars had nothing to do with either the sauce or the preparation, which, by then, was described as coming from Poland—à la polonaise. Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2020 The five variations range from carnivalesque to a polonaise, a type of Polish dance. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 20 Oct. 2020 Clad in black tails and a cravat, Felder begins with a rendition of a simple polonaise — a traditional form of Polish dance music — that Chopin wrote at age 7. San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2019 The Chopin Youth Piano Competition will feature junior (ages 10 through 14) and senior (15 through 18) musicians playing polonaises and other compositions by the Polish composer. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2019 The Chopin Youth Piano Competition will feature both junior (ages 10 through 14) and senior (15 through 18) musicians playing polonaises and other compositions by the Polish composer. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 June 2018 The piece ends by turning Mozart’s tune into a feisty polonaise. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 30 June 2017 See More
Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 And the Boston Ballet Orchestra, under music director Mischa Santora, gave an easy lilt to the proceedings, particularly the first-act waltz and polonaise. Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2022 By 1894, Favre recognizes that the Tartars had nothing to do with either the sauce or the preparation, which, by then, was described as coming from Poland—à la polonaise. Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2020 The five variations range from carnivalesque to a polonaise, a type of Polish dance. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 20 Oct. 2020 Clad in black tails and a cravat, Felder begins with a rendition of a simple polonaise — a traditional form of Polish dance music — that Chopin wrote at age 7. San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2019 The Chopin Youth Piano Competition will feature junior (ages 10 through 14) and senior (15 through 18) musicians playing polonaises and other compositions by the Polish composer. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2019 The Chopin Youth Piano Competition will feature both junior (ages 10 through 14) and senior (15 through 18) musicians playing polonaises and other compositions by the Polish composer. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 June 2018 The piece ends by turning Mozart’s tune into a feisty polonaise. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 30 June 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from feminine of polonais Polish, from Pologne Poland, from Medieval Latin Polonia
First Known Use
1740, in the meaning defined at sense 2a