Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·French ·1660s
Ballet
from ballet (from Italian balletto, "little dance")
- Meaning
- A structured dance performance.
- Source word
- ballet (from Italian balletto, "little dance")
- Route into English
- Developed in 16th-century Italian courts, codified at the court of Louis XIV; the French form is the one that travelled because French dance terminology became the profession's standard.
- Arrived
- 1660s
From French
Beyond the Norman conquest's Old French foundation, English kept borrowing from French for art, cuisine, fashion, and diplomacy throughout the modern period.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.