Branle
/brɑːl/noun
A Renaissance group dance in which dancers moved with side-to-side steps while holding hands.
Did you know?The Branle was documented in Thoinot Arbeau’s 1589 dance manual, where different forms included the Branle de la Guerre, or “Branle of War.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*brandjaną
“To move or swing a weapon; a proposed ancestor connected with the idea of a sword or firebrand in motion.”
Old French
Old French
brandeler
“To shake, sway, or move back and forth.”
Middle French
French
branler
“To shake, sway, or oscillate.”
16th Century
French
branle
“A swaying movement and the group dance named for it.”
1589
French
branle
“A Renaissance dance described in Arbeau’s Orchésographie, often performed in a linked line or circle.”
Modern English
English
branle
“A Renaissance dance characterized by side-to-side or swaying steps.”