entrechat

[ French ahn-truh-sha ]

noun,plural en·tre·chats

[French ahn-truh-sha]. /French ɑ̃ trəˈʃa/. Ballet.

a jump in which the dancer crosses the feet a number of times while in the air.

Origin of entrechat

1765–75; <French, alteration of Italian (capriola) intrecciata intwined (caper), equivalent to in-in-² + trecci-tress + -ata-ate¹

Words Nearby entrechat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use entrechat in a sentence

The man at the controls of the machine practically performed a ritual entrechat.
Helpfully Yours | Evelyn E. Smith
"I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job," she exclaimed, impulsively giving a ritual entrechat.
Helpfully Yours | Evelyn E. Smith
She was past-mistress of the entrechat and other mysteries of the ballet academy.
Interpreters | Carl Van Vechten
But the curtain rose on the ballet, and the first entrechat electrified them.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine--Volume 62, No. 386, December, 1847 | Various
I could do my little entrechat—in the good old way, I assure you!
Paul and His Dog, v.1 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIII) | Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for entrechat

entrechat

/ (French ɑ̃trəʃa) /

noun

a leap in ballet during which the dancer repeatedly crosses his feet or beats them together

Origin of entrechat

C18: from French, from earlier entrechase, changed by folk etymology from Italian (capriola) intrecciata, literally: entwined (caper), from intrecciare to interlace, from in- ² + treccia tress

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

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