ballet

[ba-ley, bal-ey] /bæˈleɪ, ˈbæl eɪ/
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.
Origin
1660-70; < French, Middle French < Italian balletto, equivalent to ball(o) ball2 + -etto -et
Related forms
balletic
[ba-let-ik, buh-] /bæˈlɛt ɪk, bə-/ (Show IPA), adjective
balletically, adverb
Can be confused
ballad, ballet, ballot.
Examples from the web for ballets
  • In the first years of the ballets russes pavlova worked briefly for serge diaghilev.
British Dictionary definitions for ballets

ballet

/ˈbæleɪ; bæˈleɪ/
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
Derived Forms
balletic (bæˈlɛtɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C17: from French, from Italian balletto literally: a little dance, from ballare to dance; see ball²
Word Origin and History for ballets

ballet

n.

1660s, from French ballette from Italian balletto, diminutive of ballo "a dance" (see ball (n.2)). Balletomane attested by 1930.

ballets in Culture

ballet definition


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 Lake and 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.