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beguine

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be⋅guine

  [buh-geen]
Use beguine in a Sentence
–noun
1. a dance in bolero rhythm that originated in Martinique.
2. a modern social dance based on the beguine.
3. music for either of these dances.
Origin:
1930–35; < F (West Indies) béguine, fem. deriv. of béguin biggin 1 , trifling love affair
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Beg⋅uine

  [beg-een, bey-geen, buh-geen]
–noun Roman Catholic Church.
a member of a lay sisterhood, founded in Liège in the 12th century.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME begyne < MF beguine, said to be after Lambert (le) Begue (the stammerer), founder of the order; see -ine 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To beguine
be·guine   (bĭ-gēn')   
n.  

  1. A ballroom dance similar to the rumba, based on a dance of Martinique and St. Lucia.

  2. The music for this dance.


[French (West Indies) béguine, from French béguin, hood, flirtation, from beguine, Beguine; see Beguine.]
Beg·uine   (bā'gēn', bā-gēn')   
n.   Roman Catholic Church
A member of any of several lay sisterhoods founded in the Netherlands in the 13th century.

[Middle English begine, from Old French beguine, from Middle Dutch beg-, root of beggaert, one who rattles off prayers.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Beguine 
1483, from Fr. béguine (13c.), M.L. beguina, from surname of Lambert Bègue (see beggar), supposed founder of the sisterhood, which was founded in the Low Countries in 12c. They preserved their reputation, unlike the male Beghards who imitated them. Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" (1935) refers to a kind of popular dance, from Fr. colloquial béguin "an infatuation."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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