pirouette means A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing, primarily in ballet. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
pirouette is pronounced /ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/.
Why “pirouette” is a great word
Pirouette — [Noun] A full, controlled turn of the body on the point of the toe or the ball of the foot, a fundamental and defining movement of classical ballet. From French pirouette, meaning 'spinning top', from an older French word pirou or pirouet, a childish toy that spins on its point; attested in English since 1706. Unlike a simple turn, which lacks its specific technique, or an uncontrolled spin, which succumbs to chaos, a pirouette is the embodiment of dynamic balance, a defiance of gravity channeled into perfect circular form. It is the whisper of a satin shoe against rosin-dusted floorboards, the sudden stillness of a spot-fixed gaze within a blur of motion, and the breathtaking instant where a dancer becomes both the axis and the orbiting world—a fleeting monument to the human will for perfect, transient order.
Etymology
Borrowed from French pirouette, see there for more; attested since 1706.
noun
- A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing, primarily in ballet.“[…]like what?—like the most beautiful pirouette by [Marie] Taglioni, let us say.”
- The whirling about of a horse.
- A wooden mouthpiece assembly or lip rest used in some European double-reed instruments.
verb
- To perform a pirouette; to whirl on the toes, like a dancer.“The way in which they dance; the height to which they spring; the impossible and inhuman extent to which they pirouette; […].”