Standard Lemma guide

minuet

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛt
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 N Y UW2 EH1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupé, a high step, and a balance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A tune or air to regulate the movements of the minuet dance: it has the dance form, and is commonly in 3/4, sometimes 3/8, measure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A complete short musical composition inspired by and conforming to many formal characteristics of the traditional musical accompaniment to the dance of same name.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A movement which is part of a longer musical composition such as a suite, sonata, or symphony which is inspired by and conforming to formal characteristics of the dance of same name.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To dance a minuet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a stately court dance in the 17th century

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ballroom dancing, ballroom dance

7

noun

Meaning 7

a stately piece of music composed for dancing the minuet; often incorporated into a sonata or suite

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dance music

History

Etymology

From French menuet, from menu (“small”) + -et (“diminutive”), from Latin minutus (“very small”).

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: менует (menuet) — dance
  • Catalan: minuet — dance
  • Czech: menuet — dance
  • Dutch: menuet — dance
  • Finnish: menuetti — dance
  • French: menuet — dance
  • German: Menuett — dance
  • Greek: μενουέτο (menouéto) — dance
  • Hungarian: menüett — dance
  • Icelandic: menúett — dance
  • Italian: minuetto — dance
  • Japanese: メヌエット (menuetto) — dance
  • Macedonian: менуе́т (menuét) — dance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: menuett — dance
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: menuett — dance
  • Polish: menuet — dance
  • Portuguese: minueto — dance
  • Romanian: menuet — dance
  • Russian: менуэ́т (menuét) — dance
  • Spanish: minueto — dance
  • Spanish: minué — dance
  • Swedish: menuett — dance
  • Tagalog: minwe — dance
  • Catalan: minuet — music accompanying the dance
  • Chinese: 小步舞曲 (xiǎobùwǔqǔ) — music accompanying the dance
  • Czech: menuet — music accompanying the dance
  • Dutch: menuet — music accompanying the dance
  • Finnish: menuetti — music accompanying the dance
  • French: menuet — music accompanying the dance
  • German: Menuett — music accompanying the dance
  • Greek: μενουέτο (menouéto) — music accompanying the dance
  • Hungarian: menüett — music accompanying the dance
  • Icelandic: menúett — music accompanying the dance
  • Japanese: メヌエット (menuetto) — music accompanying the dance
  • Macedonian: менуе́т (menuét) — music accompanying the dance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: menuett — music accompanying the dance
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: menuett — music accompanying the dance
  • Polish: menuet — music accompanying the dance
  • Portuguese: minueto — music accompanying the dance
  • Romanian: menuet — music accompanying the dance
  • Russian: менуэт (menuet) — music accompanying the dance
  • Spanish: minueto — music accompanying the dance
  • Spanish: minué — music accompanying the dance
  • Swedish: menuett — music accompanying the dance
  • Tagalog: minwe — music accompanying the dance