belles-lettres en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˌbɛlˈlɛtɹ(ə)/
Etymology
Borrowed from French belles-lettres (“fine writings”), a parallel construction with the beaux arts (“fine arts”). Littré considered the belles-lettres to embrace grammar, rhetoric, and poetry. Sense embracing all of the humanities under the influence of Latin literae humaniores.
Meanings
- (obsolete, uncountable) The humanities.
-
(archaic, uncountable) Literature, particularly light compositions valued for their aesthetic properties.
That vapid, half naturalized term ‘belles-lettres,’ which has had some currency as a substitute for the term ‘literature.’
a. 1854, Henry Reed, Lectures on English Literature, 1878 edition, page 34:
- (archaic, uncountable) Literary studies, particularly literary aesthetics.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| belle-lettre | alternative | lexicographic | |
| belles lettres | alternative | lexicographic | |
| belles-letters | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (35)
vi văn chương (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · sv belletristik (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · nl bellettrie (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · pl beletrystyka (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ru беллетри́стика (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · id susastra (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ja 純文学 (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · de Belletristik (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · et belletristika (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · de schöne Literatur (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · pt belas-letras (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · cmn 美文 (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · es buenas letras (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · eo beletristiko (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ru худо́жественная литерату́ра (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ko 순문학 (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · cs beletrie (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ro beletristică (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · cmn 純文學 /纯文学 (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · eo beletro (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ar أَدَب (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · hu szépirodalom (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · uk худо́жня літерату́ра (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · cmn 詩禮 /诗礼 (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · pl literatura piękna (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · es bellas letras (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · sv skönlitteratur (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · et ilukirjandus (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · fi kaunokirjallisuus (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · uk кра́сне письме́нство (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · fr belles-lettres (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ga léann liteartha (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · de Belles Lettres (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · uk белетри́стика (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties) · ka ბელეტრისტიკა (light literary compositions valued for their aesthetic properties)