dance

Where does the word "dance" come from? It comes from Frankish dintjan, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Dance’s story begins in Frankish: dintjan meant “to move back and forth.” Possibly a Frankish word; its exact origin is still debated. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as dancier. Spread across Europe as a courtly fashion. It reached English by 1300s as dance. Replaced Old English 'sealtian', from Latin 'saltare', to leap. Today, dance means to move rhythmically to music.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient dintjan "to move back and forth", possibly a Frankish word; its exact origin is still debated.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval dancier "to dance", spread across Europe as a courtly fashion.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s dance "to move to music", replaced Old English 'sealtian', from Latin 'saltare', to leap.