danse macabre

• Terme français désignant une allégorie médiévale ou une œuvre d'art représentant la Mort menant des personnes de toutes conditions dans une procession vers la tombe ; souvent utilisé métaphoriquement pour décrire une situation sombre ou chaotique.

A French term meaning 'dance of death,' referring to a medieval allegorical concept or artistic work depicting Death leading people from all walks of life in a procession to the grave, often used metaphorically to describe a grim or chaotic situation.

1. Dance of DeathC2formal

   A medieval allegorical concept representing the universality of death, often depicted as a procession of people from all walks of life dancing with skeletons or personified Death.

   danse macabre

   • The painting 'Danse Macabre' shows a king and a peasant dancing together with skeletons.
   • The composer Saint-Saëns wrote a famous tone poem titled 'Danse Macabre'.
   • Medieval artists used the Danse Macabre to remind people of the inevitability of death.