Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Nearby Words

jota

 - 2 dictionary results

jo⋅ta

[hoh-tuh; Sp. haw-tah]
–noun, plural -tas [-tuhz; Sp. -tahs] .
1. a Spanish dance in triple meter, performed by a couple and marked by complex rhythms executed with the heels and castanets.
2. the music for this dance.

Origin:
1840–50; < Sp, prob. OSp sota dance, deriv. of sotar to dance < L saltāre
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To jota
Encyclopedia

jota

courtship dance traditional in northern Spain, particularly Aragon; also a genre of folk song that precedes and accompanies the dance or is sung only. The dancing couple hold their arms high and click castanets as they execute lively, bouncing steps to guitar music and singing. The singing consists of coplas, improvised verses of satire, love, or piety. The verse form varies but is frequently a four- or seven-line stanza of eight-syllable lines. The music is in 34 or 38 time.

Learn more about jota with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see jota on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: