pirouette
/ˌpɪrʊˈɛt
/noun chiefly Ballet
1An act of spinning on one foot, typically with the raised foot touching the knee of the supporting leg.By the end of that week, I could consistently execute quadruple pirouettes to both right and left....
- In classical ballet pirouettes are executed on pointe, as are arabesques.
- Laurie, in her ecstatic state, executed a pirouette, and began to sing in earnest.
Synonyms
spin, twirl, whirl, turn, gyration, revolution
1.1A movement performed in advanced dressage and classical riding, in which the horse makes a circle by pivoting on a hind leg, while cantering.The horse needs sufficient impulsion for the work that is being asked of him, i.e. cantering a 20 metre circle requires much less impulsion than performing a canter pirouette....
- They got a bit bogged down near the end of the performance during a final pirouette in piaffe, but overall featured a strong technique.
- The trainer, unfazed by Dansk's apparent aggression, manages to persuade the animal to kneel, walks on its backside and performs pirouettes.
verb [no object]
Perform a pirouette: she pirouetted and made a bow...
- She twirled and pirouetted with her arms outstretched to catch the gliding snowflakes.
- The tenor saxophonist wore his baseball hat backwards as he pirouetted and moonwalked across the front of the stage.
- Laughing like a child, Noel made the boxers dance, pirouetting lightly across the carpet.
Synonyms
spin round, twirl, whirl, turn round, gyrate, revolve, pivot
Origin
Mid 17th century: from French, literally 'spinning top', of unknown ultimate origin.