mazurka

Where does the word "mazurka" come from? It comes from Polish mazurek, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Mazurka’s story begins in Polish: mazurek meant “a dance from Mazovia.” Literally "a woman of Mazovia", the central Polish region where the dance originated. It reached English by 1800s as mazurka. From Mazovia in Poland; Chopin wrote about 60 mazurkas for piano. Today, mazurka means a lively Polish folk dance in triple time, or the music for it.

1. Stage 1 · Polish · medieval mazurek "a dance from Mazovia", literally "a woman of Mazovia", the central Polish region where the dance originated.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s mazurka "a lively Polish folk dance", from Mazovia in Poland; Chopin wrote about 60 mazurkas for piano.