bel esprit
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bel esprit
First recorded in 1630–40; French: literally, “fine mind, wittiness”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The remnants beyond the threshold were from an estate that belonged to George Bucknam Dorr, a Boston lawyer, philanthropist, trail builder, bel esprit and a founder of Acadia National Park.
From New York Times • Aug. 8, 2014
I know not how this weary interval would have worn away, had it not been for the fortunate circumstance of our meeting with a bel esprit among the boarders there.
From Domestic Manners of the Americans by Trollope, Fanny
Do you want to play the bel esprit, my dear good woman?
From Memoirs and Historical Chronicles of the Courts of Europe Marguerite de Valois, Madame de Pompadour, and Catherine de Medici by Various
Il n'y eut jamais une plus belle ame jointe à un plus bel esprit.
From On the Portraits of English Authors on Gardening, with Biographical Notices of Them, 2nd edition, with considerable additions by Felton, Samuel
Those who wrote for amusement were careful to disclaim the title of bel esprit, and their works usually reached the public through accidental channels.
From The Women of the French Salons by Mason, Amelia Ruth Gere
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
