Balletomane is a devotee of ballet.
Balletomane es un devoto del ballet.
| Front | balletomane \ba-LET-uh-mayn\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun A devotee of ballet. [If you suspected that "balletomane" originated with the idea of a "mania" for ballet, you are correct. What you may not have guessed is that the language that inspired English speakers to borrow the word in the 1930s was Russian. "Balletomane" derives from the Russian noun "baletoman," which in turn combines the word for "ballet" ("balet") and the suffix "-man," from "maniya" (meaning "mania"). The English words "mania" and "ballet" did not, however, come from Russian. ("Mania" comes from Latin and Greek, and "ballet" comes from French and Italian.) "Balletomane" is therefore somewhat unusual, both for its Russian origins and for the fact that it does not follow the more traditional "-phile" model for words meaning "someone who likes a specified thing."] |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Taxis word tak-sis noun movement organism stimulus order
Previous card: Couples gretna marry married england parental scottish green
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary