prima ballerina
4
8.0
- noun
- /ˈpriːmə ˌbæləˈriːnə/
- Specialized
:
prima ballerina
- She was the prima ballerina in Swan Lake, and I was waiting outside for her with roses.
- become a prima ballerina
- former prima ballerina
- first prima ballerina
Examples
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Except I can't figure out whether I wanna be a concert pianist or a prima ballerina.
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All I know is that I could work for 10,000 hours and still never be a prima ballerina.
Blog text (20) -
I wanted to be the prima ballerina.
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Do I look like some princess prima ballerina?
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Allow me to congratulate the next prima ballerina.
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- Well, my life as a prima ballerina hasn't been easy.
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But de Mille wanted nothing less than to be a prima ballerina.
Academic text (1994) -
Anna Pavlova, prima ballerina of the Russian Ballet, was dancing Swan Lake.
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Annette is convinced that one day she'll be prima ballerina at the American Ballet Theater.
Fiction book (1997) -
The prima ballerina performed with grace and power, captivating the entire audience.
Synonyms
57
4.1
A woman who dances ballet, often in leading roles
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the principal female dancer' is directly and transparently composed from 'prima' (leading/first) + 'ballerina' (female ballet dancer). This straightforward modifier+noun pattern is familiar across languages and follows standard English phrase formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Prima ballerina comes from Italian, where prima means 'first' and ballerina means a woman dancer. That image of the 'first' or lead woman on stage explains why the phrase means the principal female dancer today.