French word

ballet

Pronunciation

IPA/balɛ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounballet

Example

Tu veux aller au ballet ce soir ?

Do you want to go to the ballet tonight?

Illustration for ballet (ballet)

More examples

Elle a acheté des chaussures de ballet.

She bought ballet shoes.

Core concept

A classical dance work brought to life on stage by dancers following set movements and music.

Common phrases

  • un cours de ballet

    a ballet class

  • chaussures de ballet

    ballet shoes

Similar words

danse: Expressive movement of the body performed in time with a rhythm.
représentation: One public performance presented in a theater or similar venue.
chorégraphie: The design of a dance's movements, patterns, and formations.

Definition in French

Spectacle de danse classique donné sur scène, où une chorégraphie est interprétée par des danseurs.

Word origin

The French noun ballet entered through Italian balletto, formed from ballo, with the deeper source being the Latin verb ballare, 'to dance'.

Usage tips

  • The final t in ballet is normally silent, and attending one is expressed with assister à un ballet rather than assister un ballet.

Word lists with this word