belle époque

American  

[bel ey-pawk] / ˈbɛl eɪˈpɔk /

Or Belle Époque

noun

French.

belles époques plural

1. the period (1871–1914) between the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the outbreak of World War I, characterized by relative peacefulness in Western Europe and by marked advances and productivity in the arts, literature, technology, etc.

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belle époque British  

/ bɛl epɔk /

noun

1. the period of comfortable well-established life in Europe before World War I

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• belles époques
  plural

Etymology

Origin of belle époque

Literally, “beautiful epoch”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belle époque

He sets his table with French antiques, including 1790s silverware, belle époque damask napkins and 19th-century faience plates.

From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2019

In Argentina, Corradi initially taught at a Provolo Institute for the Deaf in La Plata, a provincial city an hour’s drive from the belle époque buildings of Buenos Aires.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2019

Fashion documentaries seem to be experiencing a belle époque.

From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2012

In Stephen Brimson Lewis's designs, lit by Tim Mitchell, this is a belle époque Paris Puccini might have known or Caillebotte might have painted.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 9, 2012

In a belle époque metal frame tinged with verdigris was a photograph of his parents, Grace and Ernest, three days after their wedding.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan