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belletrist

 [Fr. bel-le-truh]   Origin

belles-let·tres

   [Fr. bel-le-truh]
plural noun
1.
literature regarded as a fine art, especially as having a purely aesthetic function.
2.
light and elegant literature, especially that which is excessively refined, characterized by aestheticism, and minor in subject, substance, or scope.
Origin:
1700–10; < French: literally, fine letters. See belle, letter1

Related forms
bel·let·rist  [bel-le-trist] , noun
bel·let·ris·tic  [bel-li-tris-tik] , adjective

Synonyms
1. See literature.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Belletrist is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
belletrist (bɛlˈlɛtrɪst)
 
—n
a writer of belles-lettres
 
belletrism
 
—n
 
belletristic
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

belles-lettres
"elegant literature, aesthetics," 1710, from Fr., lit. "fine letters," from belles, pl. of belle, fem. of beau "fine, beautiful" + lettres, pl. of lettre "letter." The literary equivalent of beaux arts.
EXPAND

belletrist
1816, from belles-lettres. Adj. belletristic is recorded from 1821.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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