en pointe

adjective or adverb

ˌän-ˈpȯint  -ˈpwant 

variants or on pointe

ˌän-ˈpȯint 

or less commonly en point

ˌän-ˈpȯint  -ˈpwant 

or on point

ˌän-ˈpȯint 

ballet

: on the tips of the toes with the toes pointed

performed a series of pirouettes en pointe

… the Prince comes and offers his hand, and I grab it and we walk down the stairs and I'm on pointe. So it looks spectacular.

—Misa Kuranaga, quoted in The Boston Globe

… she impressed the judges with her en pointe performance …

—Hilary Matheson

Her long balances en point were light yet steady, and her jumps looked as weightless as cotton candy.

—Molly Glentzer

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above