hornpipe

See also: horn pipe

English

Etymology

From Middle English hornpipe, hornpype, hornepipe, equivalent to horn +‎ pipe; so called because the bell at the open end was sometimes made of horn.

Noun

hornpipe (plural hornpipes)

1. (music) A musical instrument consisting of a wooden pipe, with holes at intervals.
2. A solo dance commonly associated with seamen, involving kicking of the legs, with the arms mostly crossed.
3. A hard-shoe solo dance commonly performed in Irish stepdance, usually danced in 2/4 time.
4. Music played to the hornpipe dance

Derived terms

• hornpiper, hornpipist

Verb

hornpipe (third-person singular simple present hornpipes, present participle hornpiping, simple past and past participle hornpiped)

1. (intransitive) To dance the hornpipe.

Anagrams

• porphine

Middle English

Noun

hornpipe

1. Alternative form of hornepipe