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Glite Dictionary
morris dance

morris dance

9.1
A traditional English group dance with dancers in costumes who use sticks, handkerchiefs, or bells
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : danza morris
  • The morris dance is a vibrant part of English culture.

Examples

  • The village holds a festival every year where performers showcase the traditional morris dance.

  • The children watched with delight as the morris dance was performed in the town square.

  • He joined a group to learn the steps and history of the morris dance.

  • Every spring, the village hosts a morris dance festival.

  • At the village festival, the group performed a lively morris dance with colorful costumes and jingling bells.

  • The children eagerly watched the dancers as they showcased their skills in the traditional morris dance during the fair.

  • Each summer, the local troupe gathers to celebrate their heritage by staging a morris dance in the town square.

Synonyms

traditional dance
vsmorris dance
1 2.8

A dance from a community that people learn from their grandparents

is the English folk form that often includes costumes and props
morris dancing
vsmorris dance
  • UK
9.1

A traditional English group dance with live music and colourful costumes

focuses more on using props like sticks or bells rather than just music
folk dancing
vsmorris dance
3.1

Dances that people in a region pass down over time

is a specific English variant often performed with costumes and props

Surface Forms

morris dance singular
morris dances plural

Morphology

morris + dance

The compound follows the transparent pattern 'X dance', so a B1 learner who knows 'Morris' as a name and 'dance' will readily infer it is a type or name of a dance. However, the specific cultural sense — that it is a traditional English folk dance with costumes, sticks, handkerchiefs, or bells — is encyclopedic and not deducible from the constituents alone, so the full meaning is not fully predictable.

Etymology

Morris dance may come from a word meaning 'Moorish' because early dancers copied lively foreign shows from Spain and North Africa and dressed in bright clothes, wore bells, and used sticks. That's why the Morris dance today is a lively English folk dance with costumes and props.