divertissement

English

Alternative forms

• divertisement, archaic

Etymology

From French.

Noun

divertissement (usually uncountable, plural divertissements)

1. An entertaining diversion.
2. (ballet) A short ballet within a larger work, usually providing a break from the main plot.
   • 2009 January 24, Alastair Macaulay, “A Young, Lively Crew From Florida Steps Up and Takes Flight”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Patricia Delgado, though taller and paler-skinned, strongly resembles Jeanette, and in Miami they often dance together (in the “Emeralds” pas de trois from “Jewels,” for example, or leading successive divertissements in Balanchine’s “Swan Lake”).

Usage notes

• Often written in italics (divertissement) or pronounced as a French word.

Derived terms

• divertissementlike

 

Anagrams

• divertisements

French

Etymology

From divertir (“to amuse; to entertain”) +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.vɛʁ.tis.mɑ̃/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Homophone: divertissements
• Hyphenation: di‧ver‧tisse‧ment

Noun

divertissement m (plural divertissements)

1. entertainment

   Synonym: diversion

Further reading

• “divertissement”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.