gavotte

From French, from Provençal gavoto (“dance of the mountain people”), from Old Occitan Gavot (“Alp native”), literally “glutton, boor,” from gaver (“force feed”), from Old Provençal gava (“crop”); attested since the 1690s.^[1]

• Rhymes: -ɒt

gavotte (plural gavottes)

1. A French dance, in either 4/4 or 2/2 time.

gavotte (third-person singular simple present gavottes, present participle gavotting, simple past and past participle gavotted)

1. To perform this dance.
   • 1972, Carly Simon, “You're so Vain” (0:36 from the start)‎^[1] (audio recording), performed by Carly Simon, Rhino/Elektra, published 2017:

     You had one eye in the mirror as / you watched yourself gavotte / And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner / They'd be your partner, and / You're so vain

   • 2023 August 2, HarryBlank, “Act Your Age”, in SCP Foundation‎^[2], archived from the original on 27 December 2024:

     "Upbeat I can do." Karen paged through the options for a while, her pretty face tight, jaw clamped shut, then perked up at something she saw and jabbed the buttons like she wanted to speak to their manager. A bright, jangly guitar burst out of the wall speakers. George Harrison's voice announced that contrary to appearances, it was all right. Karen gavotted into the middle of the bar to dance, eyes closed in rapture.

• IPA^(key): /ɡa.vɔt/

• Audio:

  (file)

gavotte f (plural gavottes)

1. gavotte

• “gavotte”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

gavotte f

1. plural of gavotta

• gettavo