pavane means A musical style characteristic of the 16th and 17th centuries. It carries an Arena rating of 1733, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pavane ranks #745 of 13,220 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,191 of 13,220 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,650 of 13,220 for Most Elegant Words, #3,074 of 13,220 for Most Whimsical Words.
pavane is pronounced /pəˈvɑːn/.
Why “pavane” is a great word
A slow, stately processional dance in duple time, and the grave music that accompanies it, performed in the courts of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe. From French *pavane*, from dialectal Italian *pavana*, a contraction of *padovana*, feminine of *padovano*, meaning 'from Padua' (Italian Padova). Unlike the vigorous, leaping *galliard* that so often followed it, or the later, more delicate triple-time *minuet*, the pavane is a measured, ceremonial march. It is the heavy rustle of brocade on a stone floor, the deliberate geometry of steps tracing a dignified pattern, and the stark, echoing chords of a lute marking each deliberate step—the sound of power moving with a weight that knows itself to be transient.
Etymology
From French pavane, from dialectal Italian pavana, contraction of the older padovana, feminine of padovano, meaning from the city of Padua (Italian Padova, dialectal form Pava).
noun
- A musical style characteristic of the 16th and 17th centuries.“[…] if the men should not agree what to play, but one would have a grave Pavane, another a nimbler Galliard, a third some frisking toy or Iigg, and then all of them should be wilful, none yield to his fellow, but every one scrape on his own tune as loud as he could: what a hideous hateful noise may you imagine would such a mess of Musick be?”
- A moderately slow, courtly processional dance in duple time/meter.“Why then be merry; be merry, or I’le be
Out of humour, and then who shall dance the Pavan
With Ossorio?”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- chaconne 86% match — A slow, stately Baroque dance. vs pavane →
- partita 82% match — A type of instrumental suite popular in the 18th century vs pavane →
- masque 82% match — A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song. vs pavane →
- ballade 81% match — Any of various genres of single-movement musical pieces having lyrical and narrative elements. vs pavane →
- cantata 81% match — A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music. vs pavane →
- motet 80% match — A composition adapted to sacred words in the elaborate polyphonic church style; an anthem. vs pavane →
- divertissement 80% match — An entertaining diversion. vs pavane →
- ricercata 80% match — A very elaborate form of fugue. vs pavane →