à terre

American  

[a ter] / a ˈtɛr /

adverb

Ballet.

1. on the ground.

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Etymology

Origin of à terre

Borrowed into English from French around 1920–25

Example Sentences

He moves with complete restraint and yet in the language of classical ballet: arabesques and grand ronds de jambe à terre.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2016

Halfway through my interview with Mary Higgins Clark in her Central Park South pied à terre, an earring slips out of her ear and clatters onto the coffee table.

From The Guardian • Jun. 10, 2015

Oblivion in particular, with its emphasis on work, comes over as the daydream of some Ernst & Young IT contractor – with Tom Cruise in continuous transit, forever pining after his lakeside pied à terre.

From The Guardian • Jun. 12, 2013

I can do one of my ronds de jambe à terre.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2012

Le 6, l'on mit à terre dans la premiere baie à l'Est du Cap François, & l'on prit possession de ces contrées.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 15 Forming A Complete History Of The Origin And Progress Of Navigation, Discovery, And Commerce, By Sea And Land, From The Earliest Ages To The Present Time by Kerr, Robert