chasse
UK[ʃæˈseɪ]US[ʃæˈseɪ]
n
A gliding step in ballet or dancing in which one foot displaces the other.
v
To perform a chassé step.
Etymology
The word 'chassé' entered English directly from the French verb chasser, meaning 'to chase'. In French ballet terminology, the step was named for its characteristic chasing motion, where one foot literally seems to pursue and displace the other. This French verb itself derives from the Vulgar Latin captiare, a frequentative form of the Latin capere, meaning 'to take or seize'. Thus, the literal sense of 'taking' or 'seizing' evolved through the concept of pursuit in French, and was then semantically narrowed upon its borrowing into English to refer specifically to this elegant, gliding dance step.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from French, borrowed as a complete unit. Its spelling and morphological structure are not productively analyzed using English morphemes.
Examples
The dancer executed a perfect chassé across the stage.
In the waltz, you chassé to the side before turning.
The choreography calls for a series of chassés followed by a leap.