To move or walk in a confident, showy way, often with a side-to-side motion or a dramatic turn.
From French 'chassé,' a ballet term meaning 'gliding step,' which came from 'chasser' (to chase). English speakers anglicized it phonetically, and it gained extra meaning of flamboyant movement.
This is a word that sounds exactly like what it means—say 'sashay' and you can hear the swishy confidence in it! It bridges high culture (ballet) and everyday attitude, which is why it's become the perfect word for confident style in modern slang.
Sashay acquired gendered connotations in 20th-century usage, often coded as effeminate or mocking of feminine/queer movement. Etymology (chassé) is neutral; cultural loading is recent.
Use to describe movement pattern without inflection. Avoid tone that mocks or feminizes the action; the movement itself is neutral.
["stride","walk","move"]
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