[ pə'van , -'vα:n ]
(also pavan 'pav(ə)n )
■ noun a stately dance in slow duple time, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
↘a piece of music for this dance.
Origin
C16: from Fr., from Ital. pavana , feminine adjective from Pavo , dialect name of the city of Padua .