ballerina

American  

[bal-uh-ree-nuh] / ˌbæl əˈri nə /

noun

1. a principal female dancer in a ballet company.

2. any female ballet dancer.

3. a woman's very low-heeled or heelless shoe or slipper, made to resemble a ballet slipper.

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ballerina British  

/ ˌbæləˈriːnə /

noun

1. a female ballet dancer

2. the principal female dancer of a ballet company

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ballerina Cultural  

1. In ballet, a female dancer. (See prima ballerina.)

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Etymology

Origin of ballerina

1785–95; < Italian, feminine of ballerino professional dancer, probably equivalent to baller ( ia ) dance ( ball ( are ) to dance (< Late Latin; ball ² ) + -eria < Old French; -ery ) + -ino -ine ¹

Example Sentences

With the lithe, athletic body of the ballerina, she was nothing like her fellow models.

From BBC

Any joy she had once taken in dancing had left her, as had her grandiose dreams of being, at twelve years old, the youngest prima ballerina in the history of ballet.

From Literature

“Miss Lumley, do I look like a Russian ballerina to you? I am in no mood for leaping.”

From Literature

He had an 80-yard touchdown last weekend, and the way he stayed in bounds along the sideline, it looked like he was a ballerina.

From BBC

Along her way, the ballerina’s mate supports her in some dynamic and contrasting displays of delicately dramatic force.

From The Wall Street Journal