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Definition of plie - 4 dictionary results

pli⋅é

  [plee-ey]
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–noun, plural pli⋅és  [plee-eyz; Fr. plee-ey] . Ballet.
a movement in which the knees are bent while the back is held straight.
Origin:
1890–95; < F, n. use of ptp. of plier to bend; see ply 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pli·é   (plē-ā')   
n.  A ballet movement in which the knees are bent while the back is held straight.

[French, from past participle of plier, to fold, bend, from Old French; see pliant.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

plie 
in ballet, 1892, from Fr. plié, lit. "to bend," from O.Fr. plier (see ply (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

plie

(French: "bent"), knee bend in ballet. It is used in jumps and turns to provide spring, absorb shock, and as an exercise to loosen muscles and to develop balance. Performed in all of the five basic foot positions, plies may be shallow, so that the dancer's heels remain on the floor (demi-plie), or deep, so that in all foot positions except the second the heels rise (grand plie).

Learn more about plie with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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