pirouette

[ pir-oo-et ]

noun

1. a whirling about on one foot or on the points of the toes, as in ballet dancing.
2. Dressage. a complete turn in which the horse uses its hind legs as a pivot.

verb (used without object)

, pir·ou·et·ted, pir·ou·et·ting.

1. to perform a pirouette; whirl, as on the toes.

pirouette

/ ˌpɪrʊˈɛt /

noun

1. a body spin, esp in dancing, on the toes or the ball of the foot

verb

1. intr to perform a pirouette

Word History and Origins

Origin of pirouette¹

1700–10; < French: a whirl, top, feminine of Middle French pirouet, equivalent to pirou- (cognate with Italian pirolo, diminutive of piro peg) + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of pirouette¹

C18: from French, from Old French pirouet spinning top; related to Italian pirolo little peg

Example Sentences

A jeté flashes in silhouette, a pirouette vanishes like a whisper.

From Los Angeles Times

Professor Young, a neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta, used prairie voles in a series of experiments that revealed the chemical process for the pirouette of heart-fluttering emotions that poets have tried to put into words for centuries.

From New York Times

My pubescent nerves did a pirouette in my stomach as we hung up, retreating to the haven of instant messages.

From Los Angeles Times

Like a dainty ballerina, the world's biggest iceberg has just completed a perfect pirouette.

From BBC

During so-called learning walks, the animals then explore the immediate surroundings around the nest entrance and repeatedly pirouette around their own body axis with short stops in between.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• reel
• revolve
• rotate
• spiral
• swim
• turn
• twirl
• twist
• whirl