nautch dance
- noun
- /nɔːtʃ dæns/
- Archaic
:
danza nautch
- The graceful moves of the nautch dance captivated everyone at the royal gathering.
Examples
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She spent years perfecting her skills to excel in the art of nautch dance.
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She performed a beautiful nautch dance last night.
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In colonial India, British officials were often entertained by performances of nautch dance.
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The nautch dance mesmerized everyone at the wedding.
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In colonial India, British officials were often entertained by performances of nautch dance.
-
The graceful moves of the nautch dance captivated everyone at the royal gathering.
-
She spent years perfecting her skills to excel in the art of nautch dance.
Synonyms
1
2.8
A dance from a community that people learn from their grandparents
1
9.9
A traditional Indian dance performed by professional women to entertain people
A traditional Indian dance performed by skilled women to entertain guests at royal courts and gatherings
Surface Forms
Morphology
The headword 'nautch' explicitly denotes a particular kind of dance, and adding 'dance' simply labels it as a dance event; the overall meaning ('an intricate traditional Indian dance') is directly compositional from the constituents. Although slightly tautological (since 'nautch' already implies dance), the relation is transparent and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Nautch dance comes from the Indian word nautch (from 'naach', meaning dance), so it literally repeats 'dance'. It was the name given to traditional, often professional dances performed by women at parties and celebrations in India, and that's why the phrase now means that kind of Indian dance.