balletomane
/bæˈlɛt.əˌmeɪn/
balletomane means A ballet enthusiast. It carries an Arena rating of 1502, earned across 21 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, balletomane ranks #1,332 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,988 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,543 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,805 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
balletomane is pronounced /bæˈlɛt.əˌmeɪn/.
Why “balletomane” is a great word
An ardent enthusiast or devotee of ballet. Formed from *ballet* (from Italian *ballo*, 'dance') and the Greek-derived suffix *-mane* (from *mania*, 'madness, frenzy'), the word appeared in the 1920s–1930s as a back-formation from 'balletomania.' Unlike a *dancer*, who is the vessel of the art, or a *critic*, who appraises it, the balletomane is its rapt and breathing audience, defined by uncritical, devotional love. It is the creak of a velvet seat in the hushed dark before the curtain rises, the faint scent of resin and sweat carried on a draft from the wings, the shared, palpable warmth of a crowd holding its collective breath at the sight of a perfect *arabesque*—a quiet madness for the fleeting beauty that dancers’ bodies, for a moment, make permanent.
Etymology
Borrowed from French balletomane. By surface analysis, ballet + -o- + -mane.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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