ballet

[ ba-ley, bal-ey ]

noun

1. a classical dance form demanding grace and precision and employing formalized steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression through movement.
2. a theatrical entertainment in which ballet dancing and music, often with scenery and costumes, combine to tell a story, establish an emotional atmosphere, etc.
3. an interlude of ballet in an operatic performance.
4. a company of ballet dancers.
5. the musical score for a ballet:

   the brilliant ballets of Tchaikovsky.

6. a dance or balletlike performance:

   an ice-skating ballet.

ballet

/ bæˈleɪ; bæˈlɛtɪk; ˈbæleɪ /

noun

1. 1. a classical style of expressive dancing based on precise conventional steps with gestures and movements of grace and fluidity
   2. ( as modifier )

      ballet dancer

2. a theatrical representation of a story or theme performed to music by ballet dancers
3. a troupe of ballet dancers
4. a piece of music written for a ballet

ballet

1. Theatrical entertainment in which dancers, usually accompanied by music, tell a story or express a mood through their movements. The technique of ballet is elaborate and requires many years of training. Two classical ballets are Swan Lakeand The Nutcracker, composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky . Two great modern ballets are The Rite of Spring , composed by Igor Stravinsky , and Fancy Free , by Leonard Bernstein .

Derived Forms

• balletic, adjective

Other Words From

• bal·let·ic [ba-, let, -ik, b, uh, -], adjective
• bal·leti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballet¹

1660–70; < French, Middle French < Italian balletto, equivalent to ball ( o ) ball ² + -etto -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballet¹

C17: from French, from Italian balletto literally: a little dance, from ballare to dance; see ball ²

Example Sentences

Monir is not interested in classic dances like tango or ballet.

From The Daily Beast

When I studied in London back in 2005, I actually saw the ballet, too.

From The Daily Beast

But she was forced to drop it at 11 to focus all her energy on ballet.

From The Daily Beast

But the New York City Ballet seems to have found the answer: Valentino.

From The Daily Beast

Yet few have done so with as much fanfare, star power, and consistency as the New York City Ballet.

From The Daily Beast

Two unsophisticated country lasses visited Niblo's in New York during the ballet season.

From Project Gutenberg

I have foolishly undertaken to write music for a ballet Cinderella, at a very small fee.

From Project Gutenberg

In their youth both had been enthusiastic admirers of the ballet, and had often tried to imitate the art of the dancers.

From Project Gutenberg

She remained alone until the curtain fell upon the first act of the ballet.

From Project Gutenberg

They carried him away without any fuss, and Peter was just in time, after all, to see the finish of the second act of the ballet.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• choreography
• dance