pirouette

UK/ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/US/ˌpɪ.ɹəˈwɛt/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,032 of 15,258leans spoken

Other forms: pirouettes

A pirouette is a complete turn made on one foot. Ballet's most recognisable move.

The dancer spots by fixing their eyes on one point and whipping the head round last, which is what stops the dizziness. Multiple pirouettes are counted, and a triple is a real achievement. The word came from French and originally meant a spinning top. It works as a verb too. Figure skating and gymnastics use it loosely, and everyday English uses it for any showy turn, including one made by a car on ice.

Definitions of pirouette

1nounpirouetteA full turn of the body made on one foot.B2+
“She finished the sequence with a clean pirouette.”

Where it comes from

French
pirouette
English, today
pirouette

Borrowed from French pirouette, see there for more; attested since 1706.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Dance

First appears in chapter 17 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

pirouette in the wild

Since only a short portion of the reed protrudes past the pirouette, the player has only limited contact with the reed, and therefore limited control of dynamics.
Shawm
Ideally, the pirouette will be almost in-place, although many horses perform a slightly larger pirouette.
Pirouette (dressage)
A pirouette may be performed either as a 360-degree turn (full pirouette), 270 degrees, or 180-degrees (half-pirouette).
Pirouette (dressage)
The reed used by the piffero is inserted in a conical brass tube, which is itself inserted in a pirouette.
Piffero
For example, in ballet, a pirouette is a type of pivot turn on one foot.
Pivot turn

1 / 2

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

← Vocabulary