Glissade

//ɡlɪˈseɪd// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A sliding, as down a snow slope in the Alps.
  2. 2
    (ballet) a gliding or sliding step in ballet wordnet
  3. 3
    A gliding step beginning and ending in a demi-plié in second position.
  4. 4
    A move in some dances such as the galop.
  5. 5
    A fencing move that may disarm the opponent.
Verb
  1. 1
    To perform a glissade.

    "Flinging himself on hands and knees he dragged the girl down with him. As he did so two of her companions came sliding down to their assistance, and the four glissaded back to the deckhouse as the following roll began."

  2. 2
    perform a glissade, in ballet wordnet

Example

More examples

"Flinging himself on hands and knees he dragged the girl down with him. As he did so two of her companions came sliding down to their assistance, and the four glissaded back to the deckhouse as the following roll began."

Etymology

Borrowed from French glissade.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.