The Polka Is Czech, Not Polish
A polka is a lively couple dance in duple time. Despite the name it began in Bohemia, and polka dots are named after it.
A polka is a fast couple dance in two-four time. The name misleads: the dance began in Bohemia around 1830, not Poland, and *polka* most likely comes from Czech *půlka*, a half-step, describing the little half-steps of the dance. It swept Europe in a craze so intense that in the 1840s anything fashionable was sold as polka-something. *Polka dots* are one survivor of that craze: the pattern had nothing to do with dancing, it simply borrowed a fashionable word.
- A lively dance. *Dance a polka.*
- Polka dots — an even spotted pattern. *Polka dots.*
- Czech — *půlka*, a half-step. *Probable source.*
- Bohemia — where it began. *Bohemian origin.*
- Two-four time. *Duple time.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | polka | A polka. |
| Plural | polkas | Polkas. |
| Verb | polka | They polkaed. |
| Compound | polka dot | Polka dots. |
| Czech | půlka | A half. |
- The band struck up a polka.Music.
- A red dress with white polka dots.Pattern.
- The dance began in Bohemia.Origin.
Dance crazes that left words behind
- Polka — gave polka dots to fashion
- Waltz — gave *waltz in*, to enter casually
- Tango — gave *it takes two to tango*
- Charleston — named after the city, defined a decade
- Conga — gave the conga line
Czech *polka*, probably from *půlka*, a half-step, or possibly from *Polka*, a Polish woman. It reached English in the 1840s.
Is the polka Polish?
No. It began in Bohemia, part of today's Czech Republic, around 1830. The name probably means half-step.
Why are they called polka dots?
The pattern was named during the 1840s polka craze, when the word was attached to anything fashionable.