Morris Dance
Preserved but no longer current.
A dance, popular in England in the 15th century and later, in which the dancers usually represented characters from the Robin Hood stories (see MAID MARIAN). Other stock characters were Friar Tuck, Bavian the fool, hobby horse and foreigners, probably Moors or Moriscos. It was brought from Spain in the reign of Edward III, and was originally a military dance of the Moors, or Moriscos — hence its na"me.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Morris Dance” mean?
A dance, popular in England in the 15th century and later, in which the dancers usually represented characters from the Robin Hood stories (see MAID MARIAN). Other stock characters were Friar Tuck, Bavian the fool, hobby horse and foreigners, probably Moors or Moriscos. It was brought from Spain in the reign of Edward III, and was originally a military dance of the Moors, or Moriscos — hence its na"me.
Is “Morris Dance” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.