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trapèze

trapeze

noun tra-PEZ Rare
Arts & Culture Performance

Origin: Greek trapezion, small table

Also means

trapezoid (geometry)

Usage Note

Trapèze refers both to the circus apparatus used by acrobats (trapèze volant, flying trapeze) and to the geometric quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides (called a 'trapezoid' in American English, 'trapezium' in British English). An acrobat who performs on a trapeze is a trapéziste. Context makes the sense clear.

Examples

"L'acrobate saute d'un trapèze à l'autre."

Natural Translation

The acrobat leaps from one trapeze to the other.

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