rigadoon

noun

rig·​a·​doon ˌri-gə-ˈdün How to pronounce rigadoon (audio)
variants or rigaudon
rē-gȯ-ˈdōⁿ How to pronounce rigadoon (audio)
: a lively dance of the 17th and 18th centuries
also : the music for a rigadoon

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web And yet, in a rigadoon like the one the U.S. and Iran have engaged in the past 40 years, chucking out the script is perhaps the only sane response right now. —Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 25 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rigadoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

French rigaudon

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rigadoon was in 1691

Dictionary Entries Near rigadoon

Riga

rigadoon

Riga fir

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Rigadoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigadoon. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rigadoon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rigadoon

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