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Glite Dictionary
morris dancer

morris dancer

9.6
A person who does a traditional English folk dance wearing bright costumes and using sticks or handkerchiefs
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : bailarín de morris

Examples

  • I was terrified by a Morris dancer as a small child.

    Blog text (13)

  • They're morris dancers.

    Calendar Girls (2003)

  • British mummers and Morris dancers often decorate their hats and jackets with them as a means of reflecting away evil.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Rounding out the cast are countless children and adults playing "rich men, poor men, carolers, Fezziwig guests, villagers, Londoners, and Morris dancers."

    Blog text (33)

  • The Morris dancer twirled gracefully, waving his handkerchief in the air.

  • During the festival, she watched the Morris dancers perform lively routines with sticks and bells.

  • As the crowd gathered, the Morris dancers filled the square with their energetic music and traditional costumes.

Synonyms

dancer
vsmorris dancer
514 1.0

A person who moves their body to music

specializes in a named English ritual with set steps and props
folk dancer
vsmorris dancer
1 3.4

A person who performs traditional dances, often with a group

focuses on one English tradition using distinctive props and costume
social dancer
vsmorris dancer
3.5

A person who moves to music with others at parties for fun

performs a formal traditional routine rather than casual party dancing

Surface Forms

morris dancer singular
morris dancers plural

Morphology

morris + dancer

The noun is compositionally built: 'dancer' means someone who dances and 'Morris' names a specific style of folk dance, so 'morris dancer' straightforwardly means a person who performs Morris dancing. The pattern X + dancer (e.g. 'ballet dancer', 'folk dancer') is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Morris dancer may come from an old name for 'Moorish' dancers, performers from other lands who wore bright clothes and masks. That's why a Morris dancer today is a person who performs the old village dance in costume, often using sticks or handkerchiefs.