Meaning & use
plié
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A ballet movement in which the dancer bends the knees outward while keeping the back upright.
Grammar: Often with do or practice: do a plié.
Patterns
- do a plié
- a demi plié
- a grand plié
The class started with a slow plié at the barre.
She held a deep plié before the jump.
The teacher corrected my plié because my knees faced forward.
verbintransitivespecialistinformal
To perform a bend of the knees as in ballet.
Grammar: Informal dancer use: plié and rise.
Patterns
- plié deeply
Plié, then rise onto your toes.
She pliéd gently before turning.
Dancers plié before every jump to prepare.
Word forms
| plural | pliés |
|---|
Common combinations
- demi plié
- Begin with a demi plié in first position.
- grand plié
- A grand plié takes the dancer almost to the floor.
- plié at the barre
- They practice each plié at the barre.
- deep plié
- A deep plié gives power to a leap.
- do a plié
- Do a plié and keep your heels down.
Synonyms and how they differ
- knee bend
- Knee bend is the plain English description, while plié is the ballet term with a defined technique.
- squat
- A squat is fitness-style and usually goes lower with parallel feet, unlike a turned-out plié.
- dip
- Dip is a general slight lowering, while plié has a precise ballet form.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: plié or plea? plié or relevé?
plié vs plea
Plea sounds somewhat like plié, but means an urgent request, not a dance move.
plié vs relevé
Relevé is the rise onto the toes, the opposite of the bend in a plié.
Practice
In ballet, a plié is a movement in which the dancer ___.
Choose one answer.
A plié is a bend of the knees. Leaping, spinning and rising onto the toes are other ballet movements.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plié”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.