Etymologically
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ballroom

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 09:01. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɔːlɹuːm/, /ˈbɔːlɹʊm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English ball2 + room, also written with a hyphen.[2][3][4] The first part, a dancing party, is from French bal,[5][3] from Old French baler (“to dance”), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”).[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A large room for formal dancing, a room in which balls are held: 1719, in Eliza Haywood's Love in Excess.[2][6] Etymonline gives 1724,[3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate 1736,[7] and Dictionary.com 1730–40.[4]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its single meaning, though Merriam-Webster notes its use for such rooms in hotels.[6] The compound ballroom dancing is attested by 1872.[3] Harlem's Savoy Ballroom, open from 1926 to 1958, made the battle of the bands famous in the late 1930s, according to Barry Popik.^(Popik|"Battle of the Bands (Savoy Ballroom)", 11 June 2005) In American slang of the 1980s a ballroom was also a singles bar known for easy sexual conquests.[8]

Timeline

  • 1719 – a large room for formal dancing.[2][6]
  • 1872 – ballroom dancing.[3]
  • 1985 – US slang, a singles bar.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A large room for formal dances or balls, as in a hotel or a great house.[2][6][9]
  2. (US slang) A singles bar with a reputation for easy sexual conquests.[8]

Word family

  • ballroom dance

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin