battement

[ bat-muhnt; French batuh-mahn ]

noun,plural batte·ments [bat-muhnts; French batuh-mahn]. /ˈbæt mənts; French batəˈmɑ̃/. Ballet.
  1. a movement in which the dancer lifts one leg to the front, side, or back, and returns it to the supporting leg.

Origin of battement

1
1820–30; <French, equivalent to batt(re) to beat (see bate2) + -ment-ment

Words Nearby battement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use battement in a sentence

  • Every 'bar' of the music is called either a 'battement' of the drum, or a 'mesure' of the chanson.

    Shakespeare and Music | Edward W. Naylor

British Dictionary definitions for battement

battement

/ (French batmɑ̃) /


noun
  1. ballet extension of one leg forwards, sideways, or backwards, either once or repeatedly

Origin of battement

1
C19: French, literally: beating

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012