bayadere

[bahy-uh-deer, -der]

noun

1. a fabric with horizontal stripes of brilliant colors.

bayadere

/ ˌbaɪəˈdɪə, -ˈdɛə /

noun

1. a dancing girl, esp one serving in a Hindu temple

2. a fabric or design with horizontal stripes, esp of a bright colour

adjective

1. (of fabric, etc) having horizontal stripes

Word History and Origins

Origin of bayadere¹

1855–60; < French: a professional female dancer of India < Portuguese bailadeira, feminine of bailador dancer ( baila ( r ) to dance ( ball ² ) + -dor < Latin -tor -tor ); apparently in reference to the fabrics worn by such dancers

Word History and Origins

Origin of bayadere¹

C18: via French from Portuguese bailadeira dancing girl, from bailar to dance, from Latin ballāre ; see _ball ²

Example Sentences

Khoreva shared rehearsal footage of Shklyarov in “La Bayadère,” captioning the video “Volodya...if we could do it again...”

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The scene is from Marius Petipa’s “La Bayadère,” a ballet that premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1877.

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Like many operas and ballets from the 19th century, “La Bayadère,” set in an exoticized, ahistoric and sometimes cartoonish India, doesn’t translate well to our times.

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We meet Barbeau’s Elise, a top ballerina, in a near-wordless opening sequence capturing the hushed bustle behind an evening performance of “La Bayadère.”

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For example, depictions of Hindu rites in the Indian fantasy “La Bayadere” and the enslavement of women in the pirate-themed “Le Corsaire” have raised criticisms.

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