Ballerina
/ˌbæləˈriːnə/
nounBeginner📊CommonOccupation
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
A female dancer who performs ballet.
/ˌbæləˈriːnə/
nounneutralBeginner
Occupation
A female dancer in a ballet company.
The ballerina's grace captivated the audience.
💡 Simply: A woman who dances ballet.
More Examples
2
She dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina.
How It's Used
Performing Arts
"The ballerina executed a flawless pirouette."
From Italian *ballerina*, feminine diminutive of *ballo* "dance".
The term has been used consistently since the 17th century to describe female ballet dancers.
Memory tip
Think of 'ball' and 'arina' - a female dancer who performs graceful movements like a ball in the air.
Word Origin
LanguageItalian
Original meaning
"Diminutive of 'ballo' (dance)"
Base: ballet
prima ballerinaballet ballerinagraceful ballerina
Common misspellings
balerinaballarinabalareena
Practice
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written