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pol·ka dot (pōkə, pōlkə)
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n.
1. One of a number of dots or round spots forming a pattern, as on cloth.
2. A pattern or fabric with such dots.
[So named during a European fad for polka dancing in the 1840s, when various items fashionable at the time were named after the dance (compare polka jacket, a woman's tight-fitting knitted jacket, and polka hat, a certain style of hat).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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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