ballerina

See also: Ballerina

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ballerina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbæləɹˈiːnə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnə

Noun

ballerina (plural ballerinas or ballerine)

1. (nonstandard) A ballet dancer (unisex term)
   1. (often) A female ballet dancer.
      1. Ellipsis of prima ballerina. The star female ballet performer in the company.

         Synonyms: prima ballerina, prima donna, prima

   2. (less common, nonstandard) A male ballet dancer; Synonym of ballerino
2. A ballet flat shoe.

Usage notes

Although normally used to refer only to females, it can be used of males although this is sometimes done so derogatorily. Danseur or ballet dancer is the normal term for men.

Derived terms

• ballerinadom
• ballerinalike
• gallerina
• prima ballerina

Related terms

• ballerino

Translations

female ballet dancer

• Albanian: balerinë (sq) f
• Arabic: بَالِيرِينَا f (bālīrīnā), رَاقِصَة بَالِيه f (rāqiṣat bālīh)
• Belarusian: балеры́на f (baljerýna)
• Bulgarian: балери́на f (balerína)
• Catalan: ballarina f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (gender neutral) 芭蕾舞演員 / 芭蕾舞演员 (bālěiwǔ yǎnyuán), (female) 芭蕾舞女演員 / 芭蕾舞女演员 (bālěiwǔ nǚ yǎnyuán)

• Crimean Tatar: balerina
• Czech: balerína f, baletka (cs) f
• Dutch: ballerina (nl) f
• Danish: ballerina (da) c
• Finnish: balettitanssijatar, ballerina (fi)
• French: ballerine (fr) f
• German: Ballerina (de) f, Ballettänzerin (de) f
• Greek: μπαλαρίνα (el) f (balarína)
• Hungarian: balerina (hu)
• Icelandic: ballettdansmær (is) f
• Indonesian: balerina (id)
• Irish: cailín bailé m
• Italian: ballerina (it) f
• Japanese: バレリーナ (ja) (barerīna)
• Korean: 발레리나 (ko) (ballerina)
• Maori: kaiori hiteki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ballerina m, ballettdanserinne m or f (female, archaic)

  Nynorsk: ballerina f

• Polish: balerina (pl) f, baletnica (pl) f
• Portuguese: bailarina (pt) f
• Romanian: balerină (ro) f, baletistă (ro) f
• Russian: балери́на (ru) f (balerína)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: балери́на f

  Roman: balerína (sh) f

• Slovak: balerína f
• Spanish: bailarina f
• Swedish: ballerina (sv) c, balettdansös (sv) c
• Thai: นักบัลเลต์ (nák-bal-lee)
• Ukrainian: балери́на (uk) f (balerýna)

the star female ballet dancer

• Danish: primaballerina c
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ballerina m, primaballerina m

• Swedish: prima ballerina (sv) c

male ballet dancer

• Danish: balletdanser c (generic), solodanser c
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ballerinadanser m

• Swedish: balettdansör (sv) c

a ballet flat shoe — see ballet flat

Further reading

• “ballerina”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “ballerina”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “ballerina”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “ballerina”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ballerina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑ.ləˈri.naː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bal‧le‧ri‧na
• Rhymes: -inaː

Noun

ballerina f (plural ballerina's, diminutive ballerinaatje n, masculine ballerino)

1. ballerina

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian ballerina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑlːeri(ː)nɑ/, [ˈbɑ̝lːe̞ˌri(ː)nɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -inɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): bal‧le‧ri‧na

Noun

ballerina

1. (dance) ballerina (female ballet dancer)

   Synonym: balettitanssijatar

2. ballet flat, dolly flat (type of women's shoes, with a very low heel, low sides and covering only the toes)

   Synonyms: ballerinakenkä, ballerinatossu

Declension

Inflection of ballerina (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		ballerina	ballerinat
genitive		ballerinan	ballerinojen
partitive		ballerinaa	ballerinoja
illative		ballerinaan	ballerinoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ballerina	ballerinat
accusative	nom.	ballerina	ballerinat
	gen.	ballerinan
genitive		ballerinan	ballerinojen ballerinain rare
partitive		ballerinaa	ballerinoja
inessive		ballerinassa	ballerinoissa
elative		ballerinasta	ballerinoista
illative		ballerinaan	ballerinoihin
adessive		ballerinalla	ballerinoilla
ablative		ballerinalta	ballerinoilta
allative		ballerinalle	ballerinoille
essive		ballerinana	ballerinoina
translative		ballerinaksi	ballerinoiksi
abessive		ballerinatta	ballerinoitta
instructive		—	ballerinoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ballerina (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ballerinani ballerinani accusative nom. ballerinani ballerinani gen. ballerinani genitive ballerinani ballerinojeni ballerinaini rare partitive ballerinaani ballerinojani inessive ballerinassani ballerinoissani elative ballerinastani ballerinoistani illative ballerinaani ballerinoihini adessive ballerinallani ballerinoillani ablative ballerinaltani ballerinoiltani allative ballerinalleni ballerinoilleni essive ballerinanani ballerinoinani translative ballerinakseni ballerinoikseni abessive ballerinattani ballerinoittani instructive — — comitative — ballerinoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ballerinasi ballerinasi accusative nom. ballerinasi ballerinasi gen. ballerinasi genitive ballerinasi ballerinojesi ballerinaisi rare partitive ballerinaasi ballerinojasi inessive ballerinassasi ballerinoissasi elative ballerinastasi ballerinoistasi illative ballerinaasi ballerinoihisi adessive ballerinallasi ballerinoillasi ablative ballerinaltasi ballerinoiltasi allative ballerinallesi ballerinoillesi essive ballerinanasi ballerinoinasi translative ballerinaksesi ballerinoiksesi abessive ballerinattasi ballerinoittasi instructive — — comitative — ballerinoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ballerinamme ballerinamme accusative nom. ballerinamme ballerinamme gen. ballerinamme genitive ballerinamme ballerinojemme ballerinaimme rare partitive ballerinaamme ballerinojamme inessive ballerinassamme ballerinoissamme elative ballerinastamme ballerinoistamme illative ballerinaamme ballerinoihimme adessive ballerinallamme ballerinoillamme ablative ballerinaltamme ballerinoiltamme allative ballerinallemme ballerinoillemme essive ballerinanamme ballerinoinamme translative ballerinaksemme ballerinoiksemme abessive ballerinattamme ballerinoittamme instructive — — comitative — ballerinoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ballerinanne ballerinanne accusative nom. ballerinanne ballerinanne gen. ballerinanne genitive ballerinanne ballerinojenne ballerinainne rare partitive ballerinaanne ballerinojanne inessive ballerinassanne ballerinoissanne elative ballerinastanne ballerinoistanne illative ballerinaanne ballerinoihinne adessive ballerinallanne ballerinoillanne ablative ballerinaltanne ballerinoiltanne allative ballerinallenne ballerinoillenne essive ballerinananne ballerinoinanne translative ballerinaksenne ballerinoiksenne abessive ballerinattanne ballerinoittanne instructive — — comitative — ballerinoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative ballerinansa ballerinansa accusative nom. ballerinansa ballerinansa gen. ballerinansa genitive ballerinansa ballerinojensa ballerinainsa rare partitive ballerinaansa ballerinojaan ballerinojansa inessive ballerinassaan ballerinassansa ballerinoissaan ballerinoissansa elative ballerinastaan ballerinastansa ballerinoistaan ballerinoistansa illative ballerinaansa ballerinoihinsa adessive ballerinallaan ballerinallansa ballerinoillaan ballerinoillansa ablative ballerinaltaan ballerinaltansa ballerinoiltaan ballerinoiltansa allative ballerinalleen ballerinallensa ballerinoilleen ballerinoillensa essive ballerinanaan ballerinanansa ballerinoinaan ballerinoinansa translative ballerinakseen ballerinaksensa ballerinoikseen ballerinoiksensa abessive ballerinattaan ballerinattansa ballerinoittaan ballerinoittansa instructive — — comitative — ballerinoineen ballerinoinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• ballerinakenkä
• ballerinatossu

Further reading

• “ballerina”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal.leˈri.na/
• Rhymes: -ina
• Hyphenation: bal‧le‧rì‧na

Adjective

ballerina

1. feminine singular of ballerino

Noun

ballerina f (plural ballerine)

1. female equivalent of ballerino (“dancer”)
2. pump (shoe)
3. wagtail

   Synonyms: batticoda, cutrettola

Derived terms

• ballerina bianca
• ballerina di fila
• ballerina gialla
• prima ballerina

Norwegian Bokmål

Ballerina

Etymology

From Italian ballerina.

Noun

ballerina m (definite singular ballerinaen, indefinite plural ballerinaer, definite plural ballerinaene)

1. (dance) a ballerina

References

• “ballerina” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “ballerina” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian ballerina.

Noun

ballerina f (definite singular ballerinaa, indefinite plural ballerinaer, definite plural ballerinaene)

1. (dance) a ballerina

References

• “ballerina” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From Italian ballerina.

Noun

ballerina c

1. (dance) ballerina

Declension

Declension of ballerina

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ballerina	ballerinas
	definite	ballerinan	ballerinans
plural	indefinite	ballerinor	ballerinors
	definite	ballerinorna	ballerinornas