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A ball is a formal dance party. Social dance forms a large part of the evening; actual ballroom dancing may or may not occur.
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Etymology
The word "ball" derives from the Latin word ballare, meaning "to dance"; the Latin word also developed into French baller—from where it swapped into languages like English or German—, and bailar, the Spanish and Portuguese verbs for "to dance" (although all three Romance languages also know danser, danzar and dançar respectively). Catalan uses the same word, ball, for the dance event.
Types
Example of a country ball in Georgian England
A well-documented ball occurred at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, England, on 19 December 1791. The occasion was to celebrate the completion of major alterations to the house and the event was organised by Frances Bankes, wife of Henry Bankes, owner of the house. The event involved 140 guests, with dancing from 9pm to 7am, interrupted by dinner at 1am.