ballet
/bæˈleɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.95 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A theatrical presentation of such dancing, usually with music, sometimes in the form of a story.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A light part song, frequently with a fa-la-la chorus, common among Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance composers.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A (small) ball i.e. roundel on a coat of arms, called a bezant, plate, etc., according to colour.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Any intricate series of operations involving coordination between individuals.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "a classically-trained ballet dancer"
- "Let's go to the ballet in the theatre tomorrow!"
- "Zara joined the ballet at the age of 14."
- "9. Peter West, Ar. bears sable Ballets argent a Lyon Rampant."
- "Food preparation on a potager no doubt became a kitchen ballet in which pans were constantly shifted, coals constantly replenished, and grates shaken out."
- "Henry Payton joined Alan on the sidelines during the conclusion of the oddly delicate ballet known as On-Scene Investigation."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Late Latin ballāre Italian ballare Italian ballo Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian ballettobor. French balletbor. English ballet Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto (“short dance, ballet”), diminutive form of ballo (“group dance”) (cognate with Old French bal, whence English ball), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: balletto, ballō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bæˈleɪ/
- British English: /ˈbæleɪ/