Online Etymology Dictionary

dance: c.1300, from O.Fr. dancier, perhaps from Frankish. A word of uncertain origin but which, through French influence in arts and society, has become the primary word for this activity from Spain to Russia. Replaced O.E. sealtian. Related: Dancer (mid-15c.).
morris dance: 1458, moreys daunce "Moorish dance," from Flem. mooriske dans, from O.Fr. morois "Moor." Unknown why the Eng. dance was called this, unless in ref. to fantastic dancing or costumes (cf. It. Moresco, a related dance, lit. "Moorish," Ger. moriskentanz, Fr. moresque).
tarantella: 1782, "peasant dance popular in Italy," originally "hysterical malady characterized by extreme impulse to dance" (1638), epidemic in Apulia and adjacent parts of southern Italy 15c.-17c., popularly attributed to (or believed to be a cure for) the bite of the tarantula. This is likely folk-etymology, however, and the dance is from Taranto, the name of a city in southern Italy (see tarantula). Used from 1833 to mean the style of music that accompanies this dance, usually in 6/8 time, with whirling triplets and abrupt major-minor modulations.
tango: syncopated ballroom dance, 1913, from Argentine Sp. tango, originally the name of an African-American drum dance, probably from a Niger-Congo language (cf. Ibibio tamgu "to dance"). Phrase it takes two to tango was a song title from 1952.
ball (2): "dancing party," 1630s, from Fr., from O.Fr. baller "to dance," from L.L. ballare "to dance," from Gk. ballizein "to dance, jump about" (see ballistics). Hence, "very enjoyable time," 1945, Amer.Eng. slang, perhaps back to 1930s in black slang.
reel (n.2): "lively Highland dance," 1585, probably a special use of the verb sense of reel (n.1). Applied to the music for such a dance from 1591.
ballad: late 15c., from Fr. ballade "dancing song" (13c.), from O.Prov. ballada "(poem for a) dance," from balar "to dance," from L.L. ballare "to dance" (see ball (2)).
macabre: c.1430, from O.Fr. (danse) Macabré "(dance) of Death" (1376), probably a translation of M.L. (Chorea) Machabæorum, lit. "dance of the Maccabees" (leaders of the Jewish revolt against Syro-Hellenes, see Maccabees). The association with the dance of death seems to be via vivid descriptions of the martyrdom of the Maccabees in the Apocryphal books. The abstracted sense of "gruesome" is first attested 1842 in Fr., 1889 in Eng.
Terpsichore: the muse of the dance, Gk. Terpsikhore, lit. "enjoyment of dance," from terpein "to delight" (from PIE base *terp- "to satisfy;" cf. Skt. trpyati "takes one's fill," Lith. tarpstu "to thrive, prosper") + khoros "dance, chorus" (see chorus).
contra dance: 1803, from Fr. contre-danse, altered from English country dance by folk etymology from Fr. contra "against," suggested by the arrangement of the partners in the dance. The dances and the name were taken up in France c. 1720s and from there passed to Spain and Italy (Sp., It. contra danza) then passed back to English.
carol (n.): c.1300, from O.Fr. carole "kind of dance," from M.L. choraula "a dance to the flute," from L. choraules, from Gk. khoraules "flute player who accompanies the choral dance," from khoros "chorus" + aulein "to play the flute," from aulos "reed instrument." The meaning of "Christmas hymn" is c.1500.
waltz (n.): dance performed to music in triple time, 1781, from Ger. Waltzer, from walzen "to roll, dance," from O.H.G. walzan "to turn, roll," from P.Gmc. *walt- (cf. O.N. velta), from PIE base *wel- "to turn, revolve" (see vulva). Described in 1825 as "a riotous and indecent German dance." The verb is from 1794; meaning "to move nimbly" is recorded from 1862.
samba (n.): Brazilian dance of African origin, 1885, Zemba, from Port. samba, shortened form of zambacueca, a type of dance, probably altered (by influence of zamacueco "stupid") from zambapalo, the name of a grotesque dance, itself an alteration of zampapalo "stupid man," from zamparse "to bump, crash."
polka: 1844, from Fr., from Czech polka, the dance, lit. "Polish woman" (Polish Polka), fem. of Polak "a Pole." The word may also be an alteration of Czech pulka "half," for the half-steps of Bohemian peasant dances. The dance was in vogue first in Prague, 1835; it reached London by the spring of 1842. Polka dot is first recorded 1884 and is named for the dance, for no reason except its popularity, which led to many contemporary products and fashions taking the name.
schuhplattler: "lively Alpine folk dance," 1874, from Ger., from schuh "shoe" + south Ger. dial. plattler, from platteln "to dance."
jig: "lively dance," c.1560, perhaps related to M.Fr. giguer "to dance," or to the source of Ger. Geige "violin." Meaning "piece of sport, trick" is 1592, now mainly in phrase the jig is up (first attested 1777 as the jig is over).
chorea: 1806, from Mod.L. chorea Sancti Viti "St. Vitus dance" (originally a mass hysteria in 15c. Europe characterized by uncontrolled dancing; extension to the nerve disorder is from 1621), from L. chorea, from Gk. khoreia "dance."
break dancing: 1982, but the style itself evolved late 1970s in South Bronx, and breakdown "a riotous dance, in the style of the negroes" is recorded from 1864. The reference in the modern case is to the rhythmic break in a pop-dance song (see break (n.)), which the DJs isolated and the dancers performed to.
hop (v.): O.E. hoppian "to spring, dance," from P.Gmc. *khupnojanan (cf. O.N. hoppa, Du. huppen, Ger. hüpfen "to hop"). Slang noun sense of "informal dancing party" is from 1731 (defined by Johnson as "a place where meaner people dance").
pyrrhic (2): "dance in armor" (1597), also a type of metrical foot (1626), from L. pyrrhicha, from Gk. pyrrikhe orkhesis, the war-dance of ancient Greece, traditionally named for its inventor, Pyrrikhos. The name lit. means "reddish," from pyrros "flame-colored," from pyr "fire" (see pyre).
pavan: "slow, stately dance," 1530s, from Fr. pavane (1524), probably from Sp. pavana, from pavo "peacock" (from L. pavo), in ref. to the bird's courting movements. But some see an Italian origin and trace the name to Padovana "Paduan." Possibly there was a merger of two distinct dance words.
kabuki: 1899, from Japanese, popular theater (as opposed to shadow puppet-plays or lyrical Noh dramas), lit. "art of song and dance," from ka "song" + bu "dance" + ki "art." Alternative etymology (in Webster's) is from nominal form of kabuku "to be divergent, to deviate," from early opinion of this form of drama. Since c.1650, all parts are played by males.
minuet: "slow dance in triple measure," 1673, from Fr. menuet, from O.Fr. menuet (adj.) "small, delicate," from menu "small," from L. minutus "small, minute." So called from the short steps taken in the dance.
belly dance: also bellydance, 1883 (n.), from belly + dance, in later uses translating French danse du ventre. As a verb, 20c.
polonaise: 1773, "woman's overdress" (from fancied resemblance to Polish costume); 1797, "stately dance," from Fr. (danse) polonaise "a Polish (dance)," fem. of polonais (adj.) "Polish," from Pologne "Poland," from M.L. Polonia "Poland." In the culinary sense, applied to dishes supposed to be cooked in Pol. style, attested from 1889.
mazurka: 1818, from Rus. mazurka, from Pol. mazurek "dance of the Mazur," a ref. to inhabitants of Mazowsze (M.L. Mazovia), ancient region in central Poland. The Polish accusative in tanczyc mazurka "to dance the mazurek" was interpreted in Russian as a feminine affix, hence the -ka ending.
Madison: popular dance of the 1950s, of unknown origin.
tumble (v.): c.1300, "to perform as an acrobat," also "to fall down," perhaps from a frequentative form of O.E. tumbian "dance about," of unknown origin. Related to M.L.G. tummelen "to turn, dance," Du. tuimelen "to tumble," O.H.G. tumon, Ger. taumeln "to turn, reel." The noun is recorded from 1716. Tumble-down (1791) originally meant "habitually falling down" and was used first of horses; sense of "in a dilapidated condition" is recorded from 1818. Tumble-weed is attested from 1887.
lambada: "sensual Brazilian dance," 1988, from Port., lit. "a beating, a lashing."
cha-cha: "type of Latin-American ballroom dance," 1954, echoic of the music.
frug: 1964, disco dance derived from the Twist, of unknown origin.
hoe: 1363, from O.Fr. houe (12c.), from Frank. *hauwa (cf. O.H.G. houwa "hoe, mattock, pick-axe"), related to O.E. heawan "to cut" (see hew). The verb is first recorded c.1430. Hoe-cake, 1745, Amer.Eng., was said originally to have been baked on the broad thin blade of a cotton-field hoe. Hoedown "noisy dance" first recorded 1841, probably from perceived parallel of dance motions to those of farm chores.
"As to dancing, no Long-Island negro could shuffle you 'double trouble,' or 'hoe corn and dig potatoes' more scientifically." [Washington Irving, "Salmagundi," March 7, 1807]
quadrille: 1773, "lively square dance for four couples," from Fr. quadrille, originally one of four groups of horsemen in a tournament (a sense attested in Eng. from 1738), from Sp. cuadrilla, dim. of cuadro "four-sided battle square," from L. quadrum "a square," related to quattuor "four" (see four). The craze for the dance hit England in 1816, and it underwent a vigorous revival late 19c. among the middle classes. Earlier a popular card game for four hands (1726).
"Quadrille began to take the place of ombre as the fashionable card game about 1726, and was in turn superseded by whist." [OED]
lap (n.): O.E. læppa "skirt or flap of a garment," from P.Gmc. *lapp- (cf. M.Du. lappe, O.H.G. lappa, Ger. Lappen "rag, shred," O.N. leppr "patch, rag"), from PIE base *leb- "be loose, hang down." In 17c. the word was a euphemism for "female pudenda." Sense of "lower part of a shirt" led to that of "upper legs of seated person" (late 13c.). Lap dance first recorded 1993.
"To lap dance, you undress, sit your client down, order him to stay still and fully clothed, then hover over him, making a motion that you have perfected by watching Mister Softee ice cream dispensers." [Anthony Lane, review of "Showgirls," "New Yorker," Oct. 16, 1995]
Phrase lap of luxury first recorded 1802.
rock (v.2): "to dance to popular music with a strong beat," 1948 (first attested in song title "We're gonna rock"), from rock (v.1), in earlier blues slang sense of "to cause to move with musical rhythm" (1922); often used at first with sexual overtones (cf. 1922 song title "My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)"). Sense developed early 1950s to "play or dance to rock and roll music." Noun sense of "musical rhythm characterized by a strong beat" is from 1946, in blues slang. Rocksteady, Jamaican pop music style (precursor of reggae), is attested from 1969.
merengue: popular dance, 1936, from Haitian Creole méringue.
flamenco: 1896, from Sp. flamenco, first used of Gypsy dancing in Andalusia. The word means "Fleming, native of Flanders" (Du. Vlaming) and also "flamingo." Speculation are varied and colorful about the connection between the bird, the people, and the gypsy dance of Andalusia. Spain ruled Flanders for many years, and King Carlos I brought with him to Madrid an entire Flemish court. One etymology suggests the dance was so called from the bright costumes and energetic movements, which the Sp. associated with Flanders; another is that Spaniards, especially Andalusians, like to name things by their opposites, and since the Flemish were tall and blond and the gypsies short and dark, the gypsies were called "Flemish;" others hold that flamenco was the general Sp. word for all foreigners, gypsies included; or that Flemish noblemen, bored with court life, took to partying with the gypsies.
combo: 1929, U.S. slang, in entertainment (jazz groups, dance teams), short for combination.
prom: "student formal dance in celebration of graduation," 1894, Amer.Eng. shortened form of promenade (q.v.).
limbo (2): dance in which the dancer bends backward and passes under a bar, 1956, of W.Indian origin, probably an alteration of limber.
stomp (v.): 1803, variant of stamp. Meaning "lively social dance" is recorded from 1912 in jazz slang.
mosh: "to dance (with a certain amount of violence) to metal music in a tightly packed arena," 1987, perhaps a variant of mash.
Watusi: racial group in Rwanda and Burundi (also called Tutsi), 1899. As the name of a popular dance, attested from 1964.
fox trot: also fox-trot, type of dance, 1915, on notion of a fox's short steps.
hula: "traditional dance of Hawaii," 1825, from Hawaiian. Hula hoop first recorded 1958.
conga: 1935, Amer.Sp. fem. of (danza) Congo "Congo (dance)," since it was assumed to be of African origin.
truck (n.): "vehicle," 1611, "small wheel" (especially one on which the carriages of a ship's guns were mounted), probably from L. trochus "iron hoop," from Gk. trokhos "wheel," from trekhein "to run" (see truckle (n.)). Sense extended to "cart for carrying heavy loads" (1774), then to "motor vehicle for carrying heavy loads" (1930), a shortened form of motor truck (1916). The verb, meaning "to convey on a truck," is recorded from 1809, from the noun. Verbal meaning "dance, move in a cool way," first attested 1935, from popular dance of that name in U.S., supposedly introduced at Cotton Club, 1933. Trucker is first attested 1853, "worker who moves loads using a cart;" the motorized version is from 1955, a shortening of truck driver (pre-1931). Truck stop is attested from 1961.
pogo stick: 1921, of uncertain etymology. Pogo as a leaping style of punk dance is attested from 1977.
mambo: popular dance (like the rhumba but livelier), 1948, from Amer.Sp. mambo, said to be from Haitian creole word for "voodoo priestess."
maypole: "high pole painted with spiral stripes and decorated with flowers, set up in public places for May Day celebrants to dance around," attested from 1550s but certainly much older, as the first mention of it is in an ordinance banning them, and there are references to such erections, though not by this name, from a mid-14c. Welsh poem. See May Day.