hora
UK[ˈhɔːrə]US[ˈhɔːrə]
n
a traditional circle dance of romania and israel.
n
the music for such a dance.
Etymology
the word 'hora' entered english in the 20th century as a loanword from modern hebrew, where it refers to a circle dance. the hebrew term itself was borrowed from romanian 'horă', which denotes a traditional folk dance performed in a circle. the romanian word traces back to turkish 'hora', and ultimately to greek 'χορός' (khorós), meaning 'dance' or 'dancing ground'. this greek root is ancient, related to the concept of a choral dance, and is the source of english words like 'chorus' and 'choreography'. thus, 'hora' carries the ancient idea of communal, circular dance through its linguistic journey into modern english.
Analysis
this word is a direct loanword; its structure is not productively analyzable using english morphemes.
Examples
the wedding guests joined hands and danced the hora.
the band played a lively hora that got everyone on their feet.
she learned the basic steps of the hora in her folk dance class.