coranto

plural corantos · plural corantoes · alternative corant

1. Any of a family of old French dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era in triple metre.

   Dancing a coranto with him on the heath.

   1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter III, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC

   2 more examples

   Luſtique, as the Dutchman ſaies: Ile like a maide the Better whil'ſt I haue a tooth in my head: why he's able to leade her a Carranto.

   c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 233, column 2

   Orlando, it is true, was none of those who tread lightly the coranto and lavolta; he was clumsy; and a little absent-minded.

   1928, Virginia Woolf, Orlando: A Biography, London: The Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished as Orlando: A Biography (eBook no. 0200331h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, July 2015

   Synonyms: courante, courant

2. historicalAn early informational broadsheet, bringing together news and philosophical discussion.

   I am not foot-poaſt, / No pedlar of Aviſo's, no monopoliſt / Of forged Corantos, monger of Gazets.

   c. 1638 May 13 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), Iohn Ford [i.e., John Ford], The Ladies Triall. […], London: […] E. G. for Henry Shephard, […], published 1639, →OCLC, Act I, signature B, recto