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Definition of cancan

cancan

/ˈkæn.kæn/
can · can
Plural:cancans
•
Past Simple:cancanned
•
Past Participle:cancanned
•
Present Participle:cancanning
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cancan Lexical Profile

cancan Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A lively, high-kicking stage dance that originated in the music halls of 19th-century Paris, traditionally performed by a chorus line of female dancers wearing long skirts and ruffled petticoats.

Example

"The finale of the cabaret show featured a colourful troupe performing the cancan to the famous music of Jacques Offenbach."

2

A piece of fast-paced, energetic music composed or played as an accompaniment for this dance.

Example

"As soon as the orchestra struck up the brisk rhythm of the cancan, the audience began clapping along."

• verb

1

To dance the cancan.

Example

"The performers cancanned across the stage in a flurry of lace and high kicks."

• Nearby Words

canary
canasta
canberra
cancan
cancel
cancelable
canceler

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the mid-19th century from French 'cancan', possibly an infantile or imitative word for a duck's waddle (from Middle French 'can', meaning 'duck'), or derived from earlier French 'cancan' meaning 'scandal' or 'tattle'.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cancan. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cancan
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