ballet
/ˈbæleɪ/·발레·noun
a classical form of dance
FrenchCEFR B1
Root
Italian 'balletto' (little dance), from ballo (dance) ← Late Latin ballare (to dance)
Late Latin ballare → Italian ballo (dance) → balletto (little dance) → French ballet → English ballet (17th c.)
In a word
Latin ballare (to dance) → Italian balletto (little dance) → French ballet → English ballet. This single word's journey is a map of 17th-century European culture — a refined dance born in Renaissance Italian courts moved to Bourbon France as ballet, and from there entered the vocabulary of English high society. In a single onstage gesture from a ballerina, the traces of three languages — Latin, Italian, French — sit crystallised at once.
Examples
She has practiced ballet since age four.
The ballet ended in long applause.
He composed music for a ballet.
Related
ballerinaballroomballballeticballadeer