BEGUINE


Meaning of BEGUINE in English

I. ˈbā-ˌgēn, ˌbā-ˈ noun

Usage: often capitalized

Etymology: Middle French

Date: 15th century

: a member of one of various ascetic and philanthropic communities of women not under vows founded chiefly in the Netherlands in the 13th century

II. bi-ˈgēn noun

Etymology: American French béguine, from French béguin flirtation

Date: 1935

: a vigorous popular dance of the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique that somewhat resembles the rumba

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.