polka English · revision 918

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɒl.kə/ ''(UK)''; /ˈpoʊ(l)kə/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|polka]] and [[de|Polka]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from [[cs|polka|t=Polish woman]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) the feminine of ''Polák'' “Pole”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) It may instead be, or be influenced by, Czech ''půlka'' “half”, for the half-steps of the Bohemian peasant dance.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A lively round dance of Bohemian origin (1844 in the OED, Barnhart and Etymonline; 1843 in Merriam-Webster).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The dance was in vogue in Prague by 1835, Vienna by 1839 and Paris by 1840, and reached London in 1842.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) It caused such a craze that ''polka'' was prefixed as a trade name to all kinds of articles,^(OED 1989) such as a tight-fitting knitted woman's jacket (1844).^(OED 1989) The verb “to dance the polka” dates from 1846,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995) and the ''polka dot'' pattern, named after the dance, from 1884.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1835 – the dance in vogue in Prague.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1844 – the dance; the music; a knitted jacket.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1846 – verb, to dance the polka.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1884 – ''polka dot''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A lively couple dance of Bohemian origin, with a basic pattern of hop, step, close, step.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Music for this dance, in [[duple time|alt=duple]] time.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To dance the polka.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[polka dot]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mazurka]]

+ * [[polonaise]]

+ * [[waltz]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}