polka

/ˈpoʊ(l)kə/

/ˈpʌʊkə/

Other forms: polkas; polkaing; polkaed

Polka is both a dance and a type of live music that's played specifically for dancing the polka. Many people associate polka music with the accordion.

The origins of the polka go back to a Czech folk dance, and the word itself comes from the Czech pulka, or "half," a reference to the common "half-steps" in Bohemian dances. Polka spread to the wider Czech culture by the 1830s, and soon after to Paris, England, and the United States, where it was adopted as the "national dance" of U.S. Polish immigrants during the 20th century. It's also a verb: "Hear that music? Let's polka!"

Definitions of polka

1. noun

   a Bohemian dance with 3 steps and a hop in fast time
   type of:

   folk dance, folk dancing

   a style of dancing that originated among ordinary people (not in the royal courts)
2. noun

   music performed for dancing the polka
   type of:

   dance music

   music to dance to
3. verb

   dance a polka
   type of:

   dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe

   move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance