Meanings
nounwar dance (plural war dances)
plural war dances · alternative wardance
- anthropologyA ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory, usually by a tribe.
There was a greyness in the east by the time we had completed the Navajo war dance on the front lawn.
1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 20
Translations
Ancient Greek πυρρίχη
- πυρρίχη (purrhíkhē)ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Chinese Mandarin 戰爭舞 /战争舞, 戰陣舞 /战阵舞
- 戰爭舞 /战争舞 (zhànzhēngwǔ)ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
- 戰陣舞 /战阵舞 (zhànzhènwǔ)ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
- 戰舞 /战舞 (zhànwǔ)ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Czech válečný tanec
- válečný tanecceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Finnish sotatanssi
- sotatanssiceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
French danse de guerre, danse guerrière
- danse de guerreceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
- danse guerrièreceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
German Kriegstanz
- Kriegstanzceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Latin tripudium
- tripudiumceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Polish taniec wojenny
- taniec wojennyceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
Cite this entry
APA
war dance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20dance
MLA
“war dance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20dance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “war dance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20dance.
Source: war dance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.