Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

polonaise

noun po·lo·naise \ˌpä-lə-ˈnāz, ˌpō-\

Definition of POLONAISE

1
:  an elaborate short-sleeved overdress with a fitted waist and a draped cutaway overskirt
2
a :  a stately Polish processional dance popular in 19th century Europe
b :  music for this dance in moderate 3⁄4 time
See polonaise defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Illustration of POLONAISE

Origin of POLONAISE

French, from feminine of polonais Polish, from Pologne Poland, from Medieval Latin Polonia
First Known Use: 1773

Rhymes with POLONAISE

anyways, chrysoprase, color phase, cornerways, crème anglaise, holidays, hollandaise, Louis Seize, Louis Treize, lyonnaise, mayonnaise, metaphrase, nowadays, out of phase, overglaze, overgraze, paraphrase, photophase, polyphase, single-phase, underglaze

Learn More About POLONAISE

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: polonayPrevious Word in the Dictionary: poloidalAll Words Near: polonaise
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries