demipointe

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/ˌdɛm.iːˈpɔɪnt//də.miːˈpwæ̃t/

noun

The ball of the foot, the padded front part of the sole behind the tip of the toes; hence, a ballet position executed with the dancer up on the balls of one or both feet, the heels raised up off the floor.

OriginOld French demi ← Latin dīmidius ← French pointe →
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Meanings

noundemipointe (countable and uncountable, plural demipointes)

plural demipointes · alternative demi-pointe

  1. countableuncountableballetanatomyThe ball of the foot, the padded front part of the sole behind the tip of the toes; hence, a ballet position executed with the dancer up on the balls of one or both feet, the heels raised up off the floor.

Origin

  1. Late Latinpūnctum
  2. Frenchpointe“point, tip”
  3. Latindīmidius“halved”
  4. Old Frenchdemi
  5. Englishdemipointe

From demi- (“half”) + pointe (“tip of the toe”), via Old French demi from Latin dīmidius (“halved”), combined with French pointe (“point, tip”) from Late Latin pūnctum; in this sense short for pointe des pieds (“tippy-toe”, literally “tip of the feet”); cf. French sur la pointe des pieds (“on tiptoe”).

More words from Old French, Latin, French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

demipointe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demipointe

MLA

“demipointe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demipointe. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “demipointe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demipointe.

Source: demipointe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.