# cotillion

> English word · Noun · IPA /kəʊtɪlˈjɒ̃/ · frequency rank #84,120

## Definitions
1. A bold dance performed in groups of eight where women lift their skirts to display their ankles.
2. The music regulating the cotillion.
3. Ellipsis of cotillion ball, a coming-of-age party meant to present girls newly transitioned into womanhood to the community for courtship.
4. A kind of woollen material for women's skirts.

## Etymology
Circa 1750, in the sense of the dance, from French cotillon (“petticoat”), extended to the dance because of the distinctive lift of dress revealing the petticoat, from cotte (“dress”) + -illon (diminutive). Said to derive from the then-popular song Ma commère, quand je danse, mon cotillion va-t-il bien.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cotillion