ballets

Noun

ballet (countable and uncountable, plural ballets)

1. A classical form of dance.
   • a classically-trained ballet dancer
2. A theatrical presentation of such dancing, usually with music, sometimes in the form of a story.
   • Let's go to the ballet in the theatre tomorrow!
3. The company of persons who perform this dance.
   • Zara joined the ballet at the age of 14.
4. A light part song, frequently with a fa-la-la chorus, common among Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance composers.
5. (uncommon) A (small) ball i.e. roundel on a coat of arms, called a bezant, plate, etc., according to colour.
   • 9. Peter West, Ar. bears sable Ballets argent a Lyon Rampant.1741, Richard Izacke, Remarkable Antiquities of the City of Exeter … by Richard Izacke … Second Edition
6. (figuratively) Any intricate series of operations involving coordination between individuals.
   • Food preparation on a potager no doubt became a kitchen ballet in which pans were constantly shifted, coals constantly replenished, and grates shaken out.1990, Historic Preservation: Quarterly of the National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings, volumes 42-43

See all 7 meanings of ballet