Ballerina
/ˌbæl.əˈriː.nə/noun
A female ballet dancer, especially a principal dancer.
Did you know?The word comes through Italian, where the suffix -ina makes a diminutive, so the glamorous modern term literally began as “little dancer,” not some mystical title.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
ballare
“to dance”
Medieval Latin
Latin
ballare
“to dance”
Italian
It
ballare
“to dance”
Italian
It
ballerina
“female dancer; little dancer”
19th Century
English
ballerina
“a female ballet dancer”