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

Inflected Forms

noun

• belles époques
  plural

Etymology

Origin of belle époque

Literally, “beautiful epoch”

Example Sentences

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

Since 1 June 1898, when it opened in Paris at the height of the country’s belle époque, the Ritz hotel has been synonymous with a certain luxury and French art de vivre.

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2018

“Gigi” Vanessa Hudgens stars in Lerner and Loewe’s musical comedy set in belle époque Paris.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2015

Throughout Culture Crash, the 1990s function as a go-to belle époque: “the peak years of journalistic employment, especially for newspapers,” the height of architectural innovation, the heyday of indie rock.

From Slate • Jan. 8, 2015

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