belles-lettres
[ French bel-le-truh ]
/ French bɛlˈlɛ trə /
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.
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OTHER WORDS FROM belles-lettres
bel·let·rist [bel-le-trist] /bɛlˈlɛ trɪst/, nounbel·let·ris·tic [bel-li-tris-tik] /ˌbɛl lɪˈtrɪs tɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby belles-lettres
belleau wood, belleek, bellefontaine, bellefontaine neighbors, bellerophon, belles-lettres, belletrist, belleville, belleville spring, bellevue, bellflower
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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British Dictionary definitions for belles-lettres
belles-lettres
/ (French bɛllɛtrə) /
noun
(functioning as singular) literary works, esp essays and poetry, valued for their aesthetic rather than their informative or moral content
Word Origin for belles-lettres
C17: from French: fine letters
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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