dancer

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈdɑːn.sə/, US /ˈdæn.sɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is an agent noun from the verb dance and -er.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who dances, especially a professional performer: about 1440 in the OED, the mid-15th century in Etymonline;^[5][2] as a surname from the early 12th century (Godwinus Dancere).^[2]

Semantic evolution

A dancing master was a dancer about 1600, now obsolete.^[5] The Dancers were a sect of religious enthusiasts who arose in 1374, chiefly in Flanders, and danced in frenzy.^[5] In slang, dancers were stairs (1671),^[5][3] and merry dancers is a local name for the northern lights (about 1717).^[5]

Timeline

• early 12th century – Dancere (surname).^[2]
• c. 1440 – one who dances.^[5]
• 1671 – dancers, stairs (slang).^[5]
• c. 1717 – merry dancers, the aurora.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who dances, especially one who dances professionally in public.

Word family

• dancerly
• nondancer
• ropedancer
• exotic dancer
• gandy dancer
• go-go dancer
• taxi dancer

Related words

• dance

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press