1. A slow, stately dance of the 18th century or the music for it.
2. A form consisting of variations based on a reiterated harmonic pattern.

[French, from Spanish chacona, a kind of dance.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.