barre

¹

Or bar

[bahr]

noun

Ballet.

1. a handrail placed at hip height, used by a dancer to maintain balance during practice.

barré

²

[bah-rey]

noun

1. Textiles.,  a pattern of stripes or bands of color extending across the warp in woven and knitted fabrics.

2. Textiles.,  a streak in the filling direction when one or more picks are of a color different from that of adjacent picks.

3. Music.,  a technique of playing a chord on a stringed instrument by laying a finger across the strings at a particular fret, raising their pitch.

barré

¹

/ ˈbæreɪ /

noun

1. the act of laying the index finger over some or all of the strings of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, so that the pitch of each stopped string is simultaneously raised Compare capo 1

2. the playing of chords in this manner

verb

1. to execute (chords) in this manner

adverb

1. by using the barré

barre

²

/ bar /

noun

1. a rail at hip height used for ballet practice and leg exercises

Word History and Origins

Origin of barré¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Origin of barré²

< French: literally, barred, past participle of barrer, derivative of barre bar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of barré¹

C19: from French, from barrer _bar ¹

Origin of barré²

literally: bar

Example Sentences

You always want to go back and do a barre.

From Los Angeles Times

Sheena Gough is 89 years old but she can easily lift her leg on to a ballet barre to demonstrate elegant dance moves to her class.

From BBC

Increased interest has pushed Westside Ballet to add 12 more adult dance classes to its schedule, including ballet, pointe instruction, jazz, ballroom, floor barre and theater jazz.

From Los Angeles Times

If asked about their families, it might be on the record that Lydia’s softball-playing sister, Delores, loved watching her sibling at the barre.

From New York Times

"Last one to the barre is a rotten egg!"

From Literature