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bour·rée

(b-rā, b-)

a. An old French dance resembling the gavotte, usually in 3/4 or 2/2 time beginning with an upbeat.

b. The music for this dance.

2. A movement in ballet in which the dancer transfers body weight quickly from foot to foot, usually on the balls of the feet, in a series of small steps.

[French, from bourrer, to stuff, from bourre, hair, fluff, from Late Latin burra, a shaggy garment.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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