ballet (English)
Where does "ballet" come from?
The word 'ballet' traces its roots back to the Late Latin term 'ballō,' meaning 'to dance,' which likely surfaced from the ancient Greek verb for jumping or dancing. This concept evolved into the Italian 'ballo' and later its diminutive 'balletto,' referring to a short dance. Eventually, this term was borrowed into French and then English, where it came to represent the sophisticated theatrical art form we recognize today.
Full etymology tree
- ballet (English), 'A classical form of dance.'
- borrowed ballet (French), 'ballet'
- borrowed balletto (Italian), 'diminutive of ballo; short dance'
- derived ballo (Italian), 'dance, ball'
- derived ballare (Italian), 'to dance'
- inherited ballāre (Latin), 'present active infinitive of ballō (“to dance”)'
- derived βαλλίζω (ballízō) (Ancient Greek), 'to dance, jump about'
- inherited *gʷl̥H-id-yé- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *gʷelH- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing'
- inherited *gʷl̥H-id-yé- (Proto-Indo-European)
- contraction βάλλω (bállō) (Ancient Greek), 'to throw, cast, hurl'
- contraction πάλλω (pállō) (Ancient Greek), 'to poise or sway a missile before it is thrown; to brandish a weapon'
- derived βαλλίζω (ballízō) (Ancient Greek), 'to dance, jump about'
- inherited ballāre (Latin), 'present active infinitive of ballō (“to dance”)'
- derived ballare (Italian), 'to dance'
- suffix -etto (Italian), 'suffix used to form melioratives, diminutives, and hypocoristics'
- derived ballo (Italian), 'dance, ball'
- borrowed balletto (Italian), 'diminutive of ballo; short dance'
- borrowed ballet (French), 'ballet'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris