cotillion

noun

co·​til·​lion kō-ˈtil-yən How to pronounce cotillion (audio)
kə-
variants or less commonly cotillon
kō-ˈtil-yən How to pronounce cotillion (audio)
kə-,
kȯ-tē-(y)ōⁿ
1
: a ballroom dance for couples that resembles the quadrille
2
: an elaborate dance with frequent changing of partners carried out under the leadership of one couple at formal balls
3
: a formal ball

Examples of cotillion in a Sentence

young men hoping to meet the women of their dreams at the cotillion
Recent Examples on the Web The children of the Black bourgeoise have likely done etiquette training like cotillion. Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 For many who grow up in the South, cotillion classes are a rite of passage. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2024 As Marsalis learned, Johnson had more than 200 compositions published, including cotillions, quadrilles, waltzes, reels, operatic airs, military marches and quicksteps. Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2023 This is a business relationship, not a cotillion. cleveland, 12 July 2022 What had seemed almost polite, more a cotillion and less a battle, with the Jazz playing the role of the collective debutante, making their first appearance in fashionable society, announcing themselves as a legitimate threat among the NBA’s best teams, was put on hold. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2020 Longer by an eighth-of-a-mile than the Pegasus, the Derby is the crowded debut cotillion of the nation’s finest 3-year-old debutantes. Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2023 The Williams sisters were outsiders, in obvious ways — Black girls from the public courts of Compton, crashing a cotillion of a sport. John Branch, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cotillion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French cotillon, literally, petticoat, from Old French, from cote coat

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cotillion was in 1728

Dictionary Entries Near cotillion

Cite this Entry

“Cotillion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cotillion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cotillion

noun
co·​til·​lion kō-ˈtil-yən How to pronounce cotillion (audio)
kə-
1
: a complicated formal dance with frequent changing of partners
2
: a formal ball

More from Merriam-Webster on cotillion

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