polka

[pohl-kuh, poh-kuh] /ˈpoʊl kə, ˈpoʊ kə/
noun, plural polkas.
1.
a lively couple dance of Bohemian origin, with music in duple meter.
2.
a piece of music for such a dance or in its rhythm.
verb (used without object), polkaed, polkaing.
3.
to dance the polka.
Origin
1835-45; < Czech: literally, Polish woman or girl; compare Polish polka Polish woman, polak Pole
Examples from the web for polka
  • And straightway all her polka-dots began a lively dance.
  • Use round stickers, available from office supply stores, to create a polka-dot pattern.
  • Green and red socks cannot distinguish left and right feet, nor can argyle vs polka dot or cable knit vs flat.
  • And naturally they are dancing the polka ordered by those who pay them.
  • It was a white silk organza sundress with lime green and bright yellow and bright blue polka dots.
  • The royal opted for courtroom glam, showing off a polka-dot sheath dress and satin overcoat.
  • The best-selling item is a cotton tea towel, pink with white polka dots.
  • His inventory of outfits included paper bibs, loud polka-dot shirts, a double tie that he'd match with a sequined jacket.
  • She's prim and proper in her white dress with polka dots.
  • Admiration goes deeper than sun-kissed wing markings and a jazzy polka-dot torso.
British Dictionary definitions for polka

polka

/ˈpɒlkə/
noun (pl) -kas
1.
a 19th-century Bohemian dance with three steps and a hop, in fast duple time
2.
a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
verb -kas, -kaing, -kaed
3.
(intransitive) to dance a polka
Word Origin
C19: via French from Czech pulka half-step, from pul half
Word Origin and History for polka
n.

1844, from French polka, German Polka, probably from Czech polka, the dance, literally "Polish woman" (Polish Polka), fem. of Polak "a Pole." The word might also be an alteration of Czech pulka "half," for the half-steps of Bohemian peasant dances. Or it could be a merger of the two. The dance was in vogue first in Prague, 1835; it reached London by the spring of 1842.

Vous n'en êtes encore qu'au galop, vieil arriéré, et nous en sommes à la polka! Oui, c'est la polka que nous avons dansée à ce fameux bal Valenlino. Vous demandez ce que c'est que la polka, homme de l année dernière! La contredanse a vécu; le galop, rococo; la valse à deux temps, dans le troisième dessous; il n'y a plus que la polka, la sublime, l'enivrante polka, dont les salons raffolent, que les femmes de la haute, les banquiéres les plus cossues et les comtesses les plus choenosophoses étudient jour et nuit. ["La France Dramatique," Paris, 1841]
As a verb by 1846 (polk also was tried).

polka in Culture

polka definition


A lively dance for couples, originating in eastern Europe.

Note: Johann Strauss, the Younger wrote many polkas.
polka in Technology

language
An object-oriented parallel logic programming language, built on top of Parlog.
["Polka: A Parlog Object-Oriented Language", Andrew Davison, TR, Parlog Group, Imperial College, London 1988].
(1995-01-31)