# ballet

Pronunciation: say "ba-LAY" US /bælˈeɪ/, AUS /bælˈæɪ/; UK say "BAL-ay" /ˈbal.eɪ/

## Noun

1. A classical form of dance marked by precise, codified technique and graceful, flowing movement.
   - Simple: A graceful style of dance with set steps, careful balance, and turns on the toes.
   - _Classical ballet demands extraordinary discipline and physical control from its dancers._
   - _He trained in ballet before moving into modern choreography._
2. A theatrical performance of classical dancing, usually set to music and sometimes telling a story.
   - Simple: A stage show where dancers perform to music, often telling a story without words.
   - _The company premiered a new ballet based on a famous novel._
   - _Tickets for the holiday ballet sold out within hours._
3. The troupe of dancers who perform classical dance together as one organized company.
   - Simple: A group of dancers who work and perform together as one team.
   - _The national ballet toured five countries this season._
   - _He danced with the Russian ballet for over a decade._
4. A complex, carefully coordinated series of actions among people, suggesting the precision of dancers.
   - Simple: A complex set of actions where people must move and work together with careful timing.
   - _The kitchen during dinner service was a frantic ballet of cooks and waiters._
   - _Docking the spacecraft required a precise ballet of thrusters and timing._
6. A light song written for several voice parts, often with a 'fa-la-la' refrain, popular among Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance composers.
   - Simple: A cheerful song for several voices, with a 'fa-la-la' chorus, popular hundreds of years ago.
   - _Morley's most famous ballet is still performed by choirs today._
   - _The singers rehearsed a Renaissance ballet for the spring concert._

## Verb

5. To move or carry something with the grace and fluidity reminiscent of a dancer.
   - Simple: To move smoothly and gracefully, as if dancing on a stage.
   - _Skilled waiters ballet between the tables without spilling a single drop._
   - _The crane operator balleted the steel beam into place high above the street._

## Noun

7. A small ball or round figure on a coat of arms, named a bezant, plate, or the like according to its color. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A small round shape shown on a coat of arms, named differently based on its color.
   - _The herald described a blue ballet set against a silver field._
   - _A row of red ballets ran across the bottom of the shield._

## Origin

Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto ("short dance, ballet"), a diminutive of ballo ("group dance"), which comes from Late Latin ballō ("to dance").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ballet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).