Etymology

cotillion

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Today it means: A bold dance performed in groups of eight in which women lift their skirts to display their ankles. Full definition →

First used 1766French cotillon
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The story

  1. French · borrowed fromcotillon“petticoat”
  2. English todaycotillion

First use appears c. 1750, in the sense of the dance, from French cotillon (“petticoat”), extended to the dance because of the distinctive lift of dress revealing the petticoat, from cotte (“dress”) + -illon (diminutive). Said to derive from the then-popular song Ma commère, quand je danse, mon cotillion va-t-il bien.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1766 A bold dance performed in groups of eight in which women lift their skirts to display their ankles.
  • from 1898 Ellipsis of cotillion ball.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.