Dance-a-Runi

Here is the full etymology as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary Online (10-11-2001):

a corruption of COUNTRY-DANCE: see CONTRE-DANCE

CONTRE-DANCE [after F. contre-danse, It. and Sp. contra danza, all corruptions of the English word COUNTRY-DANCE, by the conversion of its first element into the F. contre, It., Sp. contra against, opposite.]

 

A COUNTRY-DANCE; esp. a French country-dance.

  The English country-dance was introduced into France during the Regency 1715-23, and thence passed into Italy and Spain; cf. Littré, s.v. Contre-danse2, and Venuti, Scoperte di Ercolano (Rome 1748) 114 ‘I canti, i balli..che a noi sono pervenuti con vocabolo Inglese di contraddanze, Country Dances, quasi invenzione degli Inglesi contadini’. The arrangement of the partners in a country-dance in two opposite lines of indefinite length easily suggested the perversion of country into contre-, contra- opposite. Littré's theory, that there was already in 17th c. a French contre-danse with which the English word was confused and ran together, is not tenable; no trace of the name has been found in French before its appearance as an adaptation of the English. But new dances of this type were subsequently brought out in France, and introduced into England with the Frenchified form of the name, which led some Englishmen to the erroneous notion that the French was the original and correct form, and the English a corruption of it. Thus a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine 1758, p. 174 said, ‘As our dances in general come from France, so does the country-dance, which is a manifest corruption of the French contre-danse, where a number of persons placing themselves opposite one to another, begin a figure’. Partly under the influence of this erroneous notion as to the etymology, partly as a mere retention of the French form, contra-dance, contre-dance have been used, and contre-danse continued in use, esp. for a French or foreign dance of this type.

  1803 FESSENDEN Terrible Tractor. 14 So fam'd Aldini, erst in France Led dead folks down a contra dance. 1830 ‘JUAN DE VEGA’ Jrnl. Tour xix. (1847) 135 After we had danced two or three quadrilles, a contre dance was proposed. 1844 W. H. MAXWELL Scotland (1855) I. 27, I had gone down a contra danse. 1873 BROWNING Red Cotton Night-Cap Country 1421 If Mademoiselle permit the contre-danse. 1879 G. MACDONALD Sir Gibbie II. xiii. 230 All the ricks in the yard were bobbing about, as if amusing themselves with a slow contradance.
 

    2. A piece of music written for such a dance.

  1880 GROVE Dict. Mus. I. 396/2 Beethoven has written twelve contredanses for orchestra, from one of which he developed the finale of his ‘Eroica’ symphony.

Country Dance: [f. COUNTRY + DANCE, lit. a dance of the country. On its introduction into France the name was perverted to contre-danse, which has been erroneously assumed to be the original form: see CONTRE-DANCE.]

    a. A dance practised by country-people, usually in the open air.    b. esp. a generic name for all English dances of rural or native origin (already in 17th c. contrasted with French dances); specifically, applied to dances in which an indefinite number of couples stand up face to face in two long lines, as in the well-known Sir Roger de Coverley.

  1579 E. K. Gloss. Spenser's Sheph. Cal. June 27 Haydeguies, A country daunce or rownd. 1597 MORLEY Introd. Mus. 181 The courant hath twice so much in a straine, as the English country daunce. 1611 COTGR., Cordace, a kind of countrey daunce. 1649 G. DANIEL Trinarch., Rich II, ciii, Peasants..can advance At best, noe higher then a Countrey Dance. 1650 WELDON Crt. K. James 134 Because they could not learn the French Dances so soon as to be in gay Clothes, Country Dances must be in the garb of the Court. 1711 STEELE Spect. No. 2 1 Sir Roger de Coverley. His Great Grand-father was Inventor of that famous Country-Dance which is called after him. 1755 JOHNSON, Hornpipe, a country dance, danced commonly to a horn. 1840 DICKENS Old C. Shop viii, Country-dances being low, were utterly proscribed. 1842 QUEEN VICTORIA Journ. Life Highlands (1868) 36 We danced one country-danceI with Lord Willoughbyand Albert with Lady Carington. 1857 HUGHES Tom Brown II. viii, A merry country dance was going on..and new couples joined in every minute, till there were a hundred of them going down the middle and up again.

  fig. 1730 FIELDING Tom Thumb II. iv, A country-dance of joy is in your face.

    Hence country-dance v. (nonce-wd.), country-dancer, country-dancing vbl. n.

  1711 BUDGELL Spect. No. 67 6, I was very much pleased..with that Part..which he called French Dancing..After this Part was over, they began a Diversion which they call Country Dancing. Ibid. 16 As for Country Dancing..as [it] is the particular Invention of our own Country..I would not Discountenance it. 1741 H. WALPOLE Lett. H. Mann 2 Nov., I country-danced till four. 1751 ELIZA HEYWOOD Betsy Thoughtless III. 39 She..also gave him an invitation to 'squire her to a country-dancing. 1798 JANE AUSTEN Northang. Abb. (1833) I. x. 56 The cotillions were over, the country-dancing began. a1852 T. MOORE Country Dance & Quad. v. 20 Here..I..spite of some few dandy lancers, Who vainly try to preach QuadrilleSee nought but true-blue country-dancers.
 

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