[a. F. volte, ad. It. volta: see VOLTA.]
† 1. A kind of dance; = VOLTA, LAVOLTA. Obs.
1586. Sir E. Hoby, trans. Cognet’s Polit. Disc. Truth, xi. 39. The Voltes, courantes, and vyolent daunses proceede from furie.
1597. T. Morley, Introd. Mus., 181. Like vnto this [the Bransle] (but more light) be the voltes and courantes which being both of a measure, are notwithstanding daunced after sundrie fashions.
1610. Dowland, Var. Lute-lessons, R 2. Voltes for the Lute.
2. Fencing. A sudden dexterous movement to avoid a thrust.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xix. (Roxb.), 160/1. A Volt … is when thy adversarie doth thrust at thee which thou perceiueing, dost first put by his thrust; and just turne [sic] thy body round about, with thy back towards thine adversarie thrusteth him with a quarte in his right brest.
1765. Angelo, Sch. Fencing, 44. You must … with swiftness and agility perform this turn of the body called volte.
1771. Lonnergan, Fencer’s Guide, 104. When I disengage a Quarte, single your body from the thrust, by quickly forming a Volt.
1861. G. Chapman, Foil Practice, 34. The volt or spring to the right or left [being] occasionally put in practice.
1889. A. Hutton, Cold Steel, 90. Make a complete volte or turn about on the toe of the right, bringing the left foot well behind it.
† b. Volt-coupe, a feint in fencing.
1692. Sir W. Hope, Fencing Master, 46. The Volt-coupe, single and double. Ibid., 65. Then make use of the Double Volt-Coupe … after you have made your Feint.
1696. R. H., Sch. Recreat., 87. Lesson 12. Of Volt Coupe.
3. In the manège, a circular movement executed by a horse. (Cf. the earlier DEMI-VOLTE.)
1727. Bailey (vol. II.), Volte (in Horsemanship) signifies a round or a circular Tread.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., A Renversed Volt, is a Track of two Treads, which the Horse makes with his Head to the Centre, and his Croup out.
1884. E. L. Anderson, Mod. Horsem., II. xvii. 148. The school gallop is employed in traversing, and for voltes and pirouettes. The horse may be made to traverse and to do the voltes in the ordinary gallop.
4. Turn, change. rare–1.
1901. Meredith, Hueless Love, viii. So has there come the gust at South-west flung By sudden volt on eves of freezing mist.
