View synonyms for belles-lettres

belles-lettres

[ French bel-le-truh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

literature regarded as a fine art, especially as having a purely aesthetic function.
light and elegant literature, especially that which is excessively refined, characterized by aestheticism, and minor in subject, substance, or scope.

belles-lettres

/ bɛllɛtrə /

functioning as singular literary works, esp essays and poetry, valued for their aesthetic rather than their informative or moral content

1700–10; from French: literally, “fine letters.” See belle, letter ¹

C17: from French: fine letters

Charles de la Rue, a French Jesuit, died; distinguished as an orator and poet and a professor of belles-lettres.

There are usually three lectures daily; the first on sciences, and the other two on belles lettres.

In a single department of belles-lettres he had shown mastery.

Among his contributors of belles lettres we find the names of the authors just mentioned, and also several others.

They consequently reflect, like the belles lettres, the conditions under which the Jews are laboring.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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