cancan
/ˈkænˌkæn/ noun, verb
Forms cancans cancanning cancanned can-can
- noun (dance) A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- noun (music, by extension) "Galop Infernal", a movement from Jacques Offenbach's opera Orpheus in the Underworld, commonly associated with and called the cancan.
- noun (motocross) A trick where one leg is brought over the seat, so that both legs are on one side.
- verb To dance the cancan.
Etymology
Borrowed from French cancan.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rollicking French dance, accompanied by indecorous or extravagant postures and gestures.
Etymology [F.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cancan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details