courante

/kuːˈɹɑnt/

courante means an old French dance from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era in triple metre.

courante is pronounced /kuːˈɹɑnt/.

Why “courante” is a great word

A lively French dance of the late Renaissance and Baroque eras in triple meter, often the second movement of a Baroque instrumental suite. From Middle French courante, from the verb courir ("to run"). Unlike the allemande (which opens the suite with measured, Germanic dignity) or the sarabande (which follows with Spanish solemnity, slow and processional), the courante is the breath between held postures, the body in motion. It is the sound of feet skimming a polished floor, the intricate interplay of two melodic lines chasing one another, and the precise, fleeting joy of a pattern perfectly executed—a formalized and temporary reprieve from gravity.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French courante.

noun

An old French dance from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era in triple metre.
The second movement of a baroque suite (following the allemande, and before the sarabande)

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

courant 74% match — A piece of music in triple time. vs courante →
coranto 74% match — A fast-paced dance which originated in France. vs courante →
chaconne 64% match — A slow, stately Baroque dance. vs courante →
minuet 64% match — A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupé, a high step, and a balance. vs courante →
passepied 63% match — A courtly dance, in triple time, from 17th-century France; a faster form of the minuet. vs courante →
branle 61% match — A dance of French origin dating from the 16th century, performed by couples in a circle or a line; the music for this dance. vs courante →
sarabande 60% match — A 16th-century Spanish dance. vs courante →
tourdion 59% match — A lively dance, similar to a galliard vs courante →