Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A popular, attractive girl or woman, especially the most attractive one of a group.
from The Century Dictionary.
- ⟨Beautiful; charming; fair.
- Good entertainment; good cheer.
- noun A fair lady; a handsome woman of society; a recognized or reigning beauty.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A young lady of superior beauty and attractions; a handsome lady, or one who attracts notice in society; a fair lady.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An attractive woman.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"Louisa Castlefort, _si belle, si belle_, so beautifully dressed!"
Tales and Novels — Volume 10 Maria Edgeworth 1808
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Though, fair demoiselles, I have been chosen the belle, I feel as I gaze upon the galaxy of beauty around me that I, "she added in gay tones," have no occasion to blush at my own loveliness, for I feel that the gods have been so lavish in their gifts of everything that is lovely that they have surely become bankrupt and have kept no charms for me, and that Monsieur Eau Clair must have looked at my poor graces through rose-coloured spectacles when he called me _la belle_ and made me the recipient of gifts fit for a queen.
A Heart-Song of To-day Annie Gregg Savigny
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Sharon Lawrence as the fading southern belle is great.
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I chose it to serve as a first qualifier of the period label belle époque.
Not-So-Belle Époque Rearick, Charles 1987
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"Oh, yes; you are Kaolin's sister -- her they call the belle of the tribe; your name's Nacena."
Gaspar the Gaucho A Story of the Gran Chaco Mayne Reid 1850
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The period at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is often termed the belle époque for France.
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In a typical moment, Blanche, the vain Southern belle played by Rue McClanahan, preens, "One thing I know for sure, I have not lost my hourglass figure."
Slate Magazine 2009
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In a typical moment, Blanche, the vain Southern belle played by Rue McClanahan, preens, "One thing I know for sure, I have not lost my hourglass figure."
Slate Magazine 2009
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THIS CAN BE THEY ONLY LOOK LIKE GOOD FRIENDS:) Camille belle is not for my robert ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! someone March 22nd, 2009 at 7: 40 pm edit ill camilla is ugly!
Hollywood Dame » Blog Archive » robert-pattinson-and-camilla-belle-41 2008
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Why Jennifer made the list: They say everything is bigger in Texas, and judging by this southern belle, that is the truth!
treeseed commented on the word belle
In square dancing, the dancer in the right-hand position, relative to his (or her) partner. See beau
February 6, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word belle
Belle, by Jack Johnson
February 9, 2008