courante

[ koo-rahnt; French koo-rahnt ]

/ kʊˈrɑnt; French kuˈrɑ̃t /

a dance dating back to the 17th century and characterized by a running or gliding step.

a piece of music for or suited to this dance.

Music. a movement following the allemande in the classical suite.

Also courant.

Origin of courante

1580–90; < Middle French; literally, running, feminine present participle of courir to run; cf. current

After the Pavane came the Courante, a court dance performed on tiptoe with slightly jumping steps and many bows and curtseys.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 |Various
A French courante differed from the Italian, and certain dances were taken at different tempi in different countries.

Critical & Historical Essays |Edward MacDowell
The Courante is one of the most important of the strictly modern dances.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 |Various
It was originally a branle of Poitou, derived from the Courante.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 |Various

That thought had been growing, and the gavotte, the courante, the pavane becoming rehearsals.

The Confounding of Camelia |Anne Douglas Sedgwick

courante

/ (kʊˈrɑːnt) /

an old dance in quick triple time

a movement of a (mostly) 16th- to 18th-century suite based on this

Also called (esp for the dance): coranto

C16: from French, literally: running, feminine of courant, present participle of courir to run, from Latin currere