BEGUINE

beguine

(noun) a ballroom dance that originated in the French West Indies; similar to the rumba

beguine

(noun) music written in the bolero rhythm of the beguine dance

Beguine

(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) a member of a lay sisterhood (one of several founded in the Netherlands in the 12th and 13th centuries); though not taking religious vows the sisters followed an austere life

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

Beguine (plural Beguines)

(historical) A member of a semimonastic Christian lay religious order active in Northern Europe, particularly in the Low Countries in the 13th–16th centuries.

Coordinate term: Beghard

Etymology

Noun

beguine (plural beguines)

A ballroom dance, similar to a slow rumba, originally from French West Indies and popularized abroad largely through the song "Begin the Beguine"; the music for the dance.

Source: Wiktionary

Be`guine", n. Etym: [F. béguine; LL. beguina, beghina; fr. Lambert le Bègue (the Stammerer) the founder of the order. (Du Cange.)]

Definition: A woman belonging to one of the religious and charitable associations or communities in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, whose members live in beguinages and are not bound by perpetual vows.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition