noun
cancan
KAN-kan/ˈkænkæn/
A lively stage dance with high kicks.
The dancers perform the cancan with synchronized high kicks.
Etymology
The French dance name has an uncertain origin: it may relate to a children’s word for “duck,” suggesting waddling, or to cancan meaning “noise, disturbance,” echoing quacking.
More examples
- High kicks marked the cancan’s rhythm.
- The show ended with a cancan.
- She rehearsed the cancan with the ensemble.
Forms
cancan · cancans
Similar words
- chorus line
- A chorus line is a formation of dancers; cancan is a particular lively dance often performed in a line.