I. ˌminyəˈwet, usu -ed.+V noun
or men·u·et ˌmen- ; also min·u·et·to ˌminyəˈwed.(ˌ)ō ; or men·u·et·to ˌmen-
( -s )
Etymology: minuet, menuet from French menuet, from obsolete French menuet tiny, delicate, from Old French, from menu small, from Latin minutus; minuetto, menuetto from Italian minuetto, from French menuet; from the short steps of the dance — more at minute
1. : a slow graceful dance fashionable in 17th and 18th century France and England and consisting of forward balancing, bowing, crossing, grapevines, and toe pointing
2. : a piece of music written for or in the rhythm and spirit of a minuet and usually in 3/4 time — compare scherzo
3. : a dance movement retained from the Baroque suite and incorporated into the larger musical compositions (as symphony, sonata, quartet) of the 18th century usually as one of the two middle movements
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to dance the minuet