1. A lively dance for four couples in a square formation, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Usage: historical; also spelled cotillón or cotille
2. A formal ball or dance party, especially one held as a debutante event.
Usage: chiefly North American

Examples

• The cotillon was a favorite dance at 18th-century European courts.
• Young women were presented to society at the annual cotillon.
• The orchestra played a lively cotillon as the dancers took their positions.
• She wore an elegant gown to the debutante cotillon.
• The cotillon required precise coordination among the four couples.