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con·tra·dance or con·tra·danse

(kŏntrə-dăns′)

Variants of contredanse.

con·tre·danse also con·tre·dance or con·tra·dance or con·tra·danse

(kŏntrə-dăns′)

1. A folk dance performed in two lines with the partners facing each other.

2. The music for this dance.

[French, alteration (influenced by contre-, opposite) of English COUNTRY-DANCE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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