The tip of a ballet dancer's shoe, or the technique of dancing on the tips of the toes.
From French 'pointe' (point or tip), from Latin 'puncta'. In ballet, the term entered English directly from French in the 1800s when ballet was being popularized.
Ballet pointe shoes weren't invented until the 1820s—before that, dancers used regular soft shoes, so the incredible athleticism of standing on your toes is a relatively modern 'feat' in dance history.
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