arabesque
2
8.9
- noun
- /ˌærəˈbɛsk/
- Specialized
:
arabesco
- At the performance, his flawless arabesque earned him a standing ovation from the audience.
I'll try and show you sideways, do a little arabesque.
- I'll try and show you sideways, do a little arabesque.
Examples
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She practiced her arabesque repeatedly until she could extend her leg perfectly while keeping her arms aligned.
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Put your leg in an arabesque.
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One and two, and turn, arabesque.
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It's also good for checking that your knees are stretched in arabesque (and legs turned out).
Blog text (11) -
I do my stretches, and when my right leg is up behind me in a kind of arabesque, I see Bobbi in the mirror.
Fiction book (1996) -
They balance in classical arabesques.
Academic text (1999) -
In the next sequence, she does leaps and arabesques across the sand in a lavender bathing suit.
Fiction book (1997) -
Vanessa spun in a pirouette, leaped in grand jetés, and held a long, beautiful pose in arabesque.
Fiction book (1997) -
In ballet class, the instructor emphasized the importance of holding the arabesque position with grace and balance.
Synonyms
A traditional body pose used in ballet, often showing the feet
Surface Forms
Morphology
arabesque = Arab (opaque) = arab + esque
Although the form is 'Arab' + '-esque', the ballet pose sense is historically extended and not derivable from 'Arab' + 'in the style of' by an average learner.
Etymology
Arabesque comes from words meaning 'in the Arabic style', made from Arab and the ending -esque meaning 'in the style of', and it was first used for flowing, curved decoration. In ballet the name fits because the pose makes a long, graceful line like those decorations, so an arabesque is a decorative, flowing pose with one leg stretched back.