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.
OTHER WORDS FROM belles-lettres
bel·let·rist [bel-le-trist] /bɛlˈlɛ trɪst/, noun bel·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
Example sentences from the Web for belles-lettres
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