Why this word is great
POINTE — [Noun] The tip of the toe; specifically, a ballet position executed with the tip of the toe. From French pointe ("point, tip"), ultimately from Latin pungere ("to prick, pierce"). Doublet of point, ponto, puncto, punctum, punt, and punto. Unlike "tip" (a blunt terminus) or "toe" (the whole ungainly digit), pointe is precision distilled into anatomy. It is the coiled tension of a dancer balanced on a sliver of satin, the impossible geometry of a body defying gravity, the quiet agony of blisters forming beneath layers of tulle and tape—a reminder that even the most ethereal art is built on the brutality of flesh.