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billet-doux

[ bil-ey-doo, bil-ee-; French bee-yey-doo ]
/ ˈbɪl eɪˈdu, ˈbɪl i-; French bi yeɪˈdu /

noun, plural bil·lets-doux [bil-ey-dooz, bil-ee-; French bee-yey-doo]. /ˈbɪl eɪˈduz, ˈbɪl i-; French bi yeɪˈdu/.

a love letter.

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Origin of billet-doux

1665–75; <French: literally, sweet note. See billet1, douce

Words nearby billet-doux

billbug, billed, biller, Billerica, billet, billet-doux, billethead, billety, billfish, billfold, billfolder
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for billet-doux

British Dictionary definitions for billet-doux

billet-doux
/ (ˌbɪlɪˈduː, French bijɛdu) /

noun plural billets-doux (ˌbɪlɪˈduːz, French bijɛdu)

old-fashioned, or jocular a love letter

Word Origin for billet-doux

C17: from French, literally: a sweet letter, from billet (see billet 1) + doux sweet, from Latin dulcis
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012