ballet

Where does the word "ballet" come from? It comes from Italian balletto, passing through French before entering English (1600s-1700s).

Ballet’s story begins in Italian: balletto meant “a little dance.” A diminutive of "ballo" (a dance), developed in Renaissance Italian courts. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as ballet. Refined into a formal art form at the French royal court. It reached English by 1600s-1700s as ballet. Louis XIV founded the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661, and French became ballet's language. Today, ballet means a formal style of expressive dance performed to music.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · 1500s balletto "a little dance", a diminutive of "ballo" (a dance), developed in Renaissance Italian courts.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1600s ballet "a formal, choreographed dance", refined into a formal art form at the French royal court.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s-1700s ballet "a formal, classical dance form", Louis XIV founded the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661, and French became ballet's language.